The Teacher
by Angel Anastasia
Summary: this story came in as a request. ive gotten a few requests, but this is the first I am attempting to do. a professor runs into the team and he pushes them to their wits end. rating is for violence and all of the other good stuff I am know for
1. Chapter 1

_new year. new story. this story came in as a request so we shall see where this story goes. this unsub is smarter than most of the others I have created over the years so lets see what happens. enjoy_

 **"That man is wisest who, like Socrates, realizes that his wisdom is worthless" – Plato**

Christmas break never seemed to last long enough. He was given more time off than regular teachers who worked in elementary schools or high school, but he still wanted to throw his alarm against the closet when it went off that morning. He rolled out of bed, and got ready for work without waking his wife. Abby worked at the university with him, but they usually had opposite schedules. She worked nights teaching English to undergrads while he taught mornings and days working with grad students who were interested in learning more about philosophy. He always wanted to teach. That had been his dream for as long as he could remember, and he would never complain waking up before the sun if he could spend his days in front of curious students yearning to know more about this world.

Marriage, on the other hand, had never been a dream of his. He almost felt pressured into it because of his parents. Even before he finished high school, his mother was always nagging him about which girl he was dating and she was going to end up being his "special one". He dated girls at his school, like his buddies did, but not of them seemed right for him. He would lie and tell his parents everything was going well with his love life, but he usually never called a girl back after the first date. Abby was different. She stood out from the other girls with her long red hair and bright green eyes. She proudly told him the freckles that scattered her face went back generations in her family, and whenever Nick forgot to call her, she would just call him. She didn't slink away when he told her that he didn't have the money to take her to the movies, which was just another lie, and she usually made their plans for the major holidays. Nick couldn't figure out how in the world a woman like that would just put up with his excuses and lies, but she always did. She told her family that he was shy when he didn't want to meet them, but she did help him with his homework a lot. She listened to his long rants when no one else would, and she put up with his quirky behavior and habits.

He eventually proposed her after they graduated college. Both sets of parents were ecstatic, and Abby had her younger sister be her maid of honor. Abby was coming from a wealthy family and Nick wasn't too bad off himself. They bought a large house that wasn't too far from the school, and both of them continued going to school for their master degrees. It seemed like a dream marriage. Nicky and Abby sitting in a tree. Kissing. First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes the baby in a baby carriage, but that didn't happen for Nick. Their wedding night was hell. He didn't want to touch her. She started crying and so he started drinking. He drank enough to almost pass out, but it was enough to get the deed done. She was happy, and he couldn't recall anything the morning after. It was a win win for both of them, but sex was rare in their happy home. He wouldn't touch her during their honeymoon, and he had to drink himself silly to bed her on special nights like Valentine's Day or her birthday. It was a gift from the heavens that she never got pregnant. Nick didn't hate kids. He just didn't want any. He was sure his parents thought something was wrong since they had almost been married an entire decade and they didn't have a house full of giggling children yet. His dad did ask him once. He told his dad he was working on it, and they left it at that. His dad never asked him again.

Nick woke up early for work, and got home right around the time Abby would be leaving. They might have a late dinner or early lunch together, but that was it as far as meal times. Abby treasured the weekends. She liked to spend Sundays with her sister, but Saturdays were always saved for her beloved. Lately, Nick had been making more excuses of why he couldn't go on her little adventures to the zoo or riding with her parents at their farm. He was happiest when he was all by himself. When they were first married, they agreed to have a few rooms just for their own uses. Abby loved the basement. That was one of her favorite rooms. Within just a few weeks of moving in, she transformed the dark and gloomy room into a luscious library. Nick was only allowed down there when he was helping her redecorate or add new books, but even he was impressed. It was prettier than any library he had ever been to, and it wasn't far from the fantastical library from the Beauty and the Beast movie. She also claimed a few of the sun rooms as her own too. She kept one of them as a sitting room for whenever her girlfriends came to visit, but the second room was the one she kept her dolls in. She had been collecting antique dolls since she was a little girl, and ever since their marriage, her collection seemed to just grow. Dolls freaked Nick out. He was happy to keep out of that room.

Nick chose the attic as one of his personal rooms. It was spacious, and Nick took it upon himself to get rid of all the old boxes and clutter that past families left behind. He supposed it be could be an adventure to sort through the old mementos from days past, but he didn't really have the time or patience for that. He just wanted it all gone. When he was finished, the attic looked bigger than ever. There was one large window overlooking the property, and he was sure that if he got a telescope, he could spy on the neighbors if he wanted. He never wanted to though. There was an old widow living next door to him, and the other side had an older couple that usually just kept to themselves. He didn't mind. He had no desire to talk to any of them. The second room he chose was the room directly beneath the attic. The previous owners of the house kept it as a playroom for their children, but he turned it into a study. He decorated it with a large wooden desk next to a burgundy colored armchair, and a small collection of his favorite books. He had a stone fireplace built in across from the desk, and he usually had the curtains closed. The only soul he would ever allow in his private room was his cat. He loved that cat. She was just a stray tabby that he found wandering around the neighborhood, but she was his main girl. He named her Critter, and whenever he was home, she was at his side.

Today wasn't a day for cuddling with his cat though, and it wasn't a day for hiding out in his special rooms. Today was going to change his life forever, and he was more than ready for this change. He listened to the radio on his way to school, and was delighted to hear that there might be a fifth victim already in the Tongue Ripper saga. He didn't know who the sicko was. He didn't care who the sicko was. What he did know was that the BAU would be there today. He didn't have much time to get himself ready before their arrival, but he was going to try. He got to his first class with no problems. Most of the students were groggy. It was hard going back to school after such a long break. He couldn't blame them. He wasn't going to give them a hard first week. He was going to give them a few days to get back into the swing of things. He never referred to himself as a hard teacher, and he was well loved by most of his students. He just went over what he was planning for the upcoming week for his morning classes, and by lunch time, he was heading home. Abby was gone by the time he got back. He had a quick lunch. He usually loved having big meals, but not today. He didn't want a full stomach in case something went wrong. He got in his car when he finished eating, and drove about half an hour to Cotton Wood Park. There wasn't going to be a lot of people there. Kids were at school, and most adults were still at their jobs. He expected to have the park to himself. Mostly. He parked near the back, turned on the radio, and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. He was browsing the internet on his phone when he saw a man walking his dog. He was wearing a suit like he was just coming off work too or maybe he was on his lunch break, but none of that mattered. The dog wasn't going to be much of a threat either. It was an Australian Shepherd mix that seemed a lot more interested in that the great sniffs that what was going on with his owner. Nick wasn't going to hurt the dog. He decided that in the car. He smoothed out his hair, pulled the gun out of the glove compartment, and got out of his vehicle. He wasn't sure how this was going to end. He never did anything even kind of like this before, but life wasn't worth living if he was too afraid to try out new things. He kept a few paces behind the stranger. Nick guessed they were about the same age, but the other man had darker hair than Nick. He wore a black coat over the suit, and he always stopped whenever his dog wanted to check out another tree. When they reached the lake, Nick made his move.

"Excuse me, sir?" Nick asked. The man glanced behind him to see Nick standing there. Nick didn't look like a threat. That was good.

"Yeah?" the man asked. He looked back down at his phone. He wasn't going to see what was coming.

"What's your dog's name?" Nick asked. It was a beautiful dog. Nick wasn't a dog person, but if he was, that's the breed he wanted. The dog was a blue merle with different color eyes. It was probably an expensive dog, but price wasn't a concern. Their personalities did. He knew some people that spent thousands on their pets just to find out the dog was a jerk. Critter was free, and she was everything he ever wanted.

"Shiloh," the man said smiling. The man turned towards his dog which gave Nick more than enough time he needed. He pulled the gun out, aimed, and fired. The dog, Shiloh, yelped and leaped back. The man stayed on his feet for a moment, but then he fell head first into the river. His entire body didn't fall in which was a shame, but Nick wasn't going to touch him. That was a lot easier than he expected. The blood from the stranger's head mixed with the lake water, and Nick wondered if there were any fish living in the lake that would feast on this guy's head until the police got there.

Nick got down on his knees to calm the dog down. It was still shaking and it wanted nothing to do with Nick. "Sssshh. It's okay buddy. I got you." The dog didn't act vicious or mean when Nick lifted his arm out towards the scared canine. He unhooked the leash from the dog's collar, and the dog ran off in a flash. He was sure the dog could find his way home, and Nick felt good. The practice run went well. He was ready for the real deal now. He put the gun away, and strolled back to his car. Was that the only meaning of life? Being born to die? The dead man in the lake had hopes and dreams for his future. He knew what he was going to eat for dinner that night, and he could have even had plans for the weekend. All of those thoughts and hopes were gone with a single blast from Nick's gun. The guy was enjoying his afternoon in a minute only to be fish food by the next moment. Nick couldn't quite understand it, but he felt good. He didn't even realize he was smiling. He felt awake for the first time in his life, and he couldn't wait until later. This was going perfectly, and he was happy.

* * *

Monday mornings were hard on everyone. It was rare to get the holidays off with this kind of job so J.J. was happy when she wasn't called in on Christmas or New Year's Day. She got to spend it with her boys, and she slept in with her husband which was sadly a rare occasion. When the alarm clock went off Monday morning, she didn't complain. Will saw her off, and she kissed all of her boys goodbye. As sleepy as she felt, she was ready to get back to work, and this week was going to be different. This was going to be one of the first cases they got without Morgan. It felt strange not seeing him sitting at his desk teasing Reid. His desk was empty now. It would remain empty until a new member was added to their tight knit team, but it would never be Morgan. Morgan was never be sitting at that desk again. Hotch was upstairs at his computer, but no one else was there yet. She wished Morgan would come back. She already missed him, but she respected his decision. He had to do what was best for his family, and he promised that he would keep in contact. She headed over to her own desk, and pulled out the stack of cases waiting for her. On the very top, she found the case that she would present to the team.

It was a local case, but what caught her eye was the number of victims. They already found four dead bodies over the holiday weekend, and the police were looking into a possible fifth victim just found this morning. The victims were all working females in their early 20s. They were all pretty with blonde hair so the unsub already picked out his type, but J.J. was alarmed at the shocking rate he was killing these women. The unsub probably already picked out his next victim so the team was going to need to move fast. J.J. took the folders up to Hotch to show it to him while the rest of the team were dragging themselves inside. Prentiss was the next in the office, and just like J.J., she lingered near Morgan's desk. This was going to be hard on all of them. Rossi came in a few minutes after her with Garcia coming in behind him already looking her sharpest. She was wearing a blue and green with blue tights and a blue headband. J.J. could never figure out where Garcia found all this time to come in looking fantastic every morning, but she always did. Reid was the last one in. He was wearing his messenger bag across his shoulder, and he was holding a large cup of coffee. Morgan's departure was going to be the hardest on him. Morgan was the only brother that Reid ever knew, and Reid never quite got over losing Gideon. The team was going to be there to help him cope. They were in this together.

"A fifth victim this morning?" Hotch asked. He had photographs of the deceased women all over his desk.

"They think so," J.J. said. "Nothing is conclusive, but she fits the victimology and she was murdered in the same manner."

"Okay. Get the team gathered," Hotch said standing up. He handed the folder back over to J.J., and she called the team together.

It was different not seeing Morgan tease Reid over his messy hair or flirt with Garcia, but she was going to get used to it. They weren't as talkative this morning, and they didn't say much as Garcia got the screen ready or when Hotch took his seat next to Rossi. J.J. cleared her throat when Garcia had the first photo up, and she took her place in the front of the room.

"Morning everyone," J.J. said to make sure all eyes were on her. "Got a case today from Charlottesville. They were going to contact us sooner, but they weren't sure the murders were even related until now. Four victims so far with a possible fifth."

"Possible?" Rossi asked.

"They found another body this morning, and she fits in what the unsubs target. The four women are all in their early 20s. Blonde hair, light colored eyes. They were all prostitutes. I'm not sure yet if the women knew each other yet because they were taken from different neighborhoods around the town, but they have that much in common."

"How were they killed?" Prentiss asked. J.J. moved on to the next screen showing the first of the dead women.

Prentiss covered up her mouth when she saw the photo of a decomposing body of a young woman lying in a trash bin. The blonde hair was matted terribly, and there were maggots crawling around her mouth and eyes. J.J. didn't even want to look at it. "Multiple stabbings to the chest is the cause of death, but it looks like after the women are dead, he goes back and removes the tongue."

"Have their tongues been found at the scenes?" Reid asked.

"No," J.J. said. She heard of unsubs keeping trophies for their kills, but a tongue seemed random to her.

"So he murders the women in a brutal fashion, and takes their tongues as a keepsake," Rossi thought out loud. "Why the tongues?"

"Maybe to silence them?" Reid asked. "Silencing them for the last time."

"Does he sexually assault the women?" Prentiss asked. "From here, it looks like he left their clothes on, but the body is in really bad shape."

"She wasn't found until a few days after her murder," J.J. explained. "The other bodies are in better shape, but all were found with multiple stab wounds to the chest and missing tongues. None of them have any signs of sexual assault."

"Were they all found in garbage bins?" Hotch asked.

"Yes. Most of them were found in bins belonging to old apartment buildings, and one of them was found in a restaurant garbage bin. He doesn't try to cover up the bodies much either. He ties them in a trash bag and throws them in there."

"Because these women are just trash to him," Rossi concluded. "He takes what he needs from them and gets rid of them."

"And he thinks their tongue is something he needs," Prentiss said. "Do we have the names and ages of the victims?"

J.J. put all of their pictures on screen except the unconfirmed victim. "First one missing was Michelle Madison. She was the oldest victim so far. She was 29 years old. Second one was Kristen Williams. 22 years old. Third was Emilee Peterson. She was 25 years old. The fourth confirmed victim is Colleen Patrick, and she was 21 years old."

"Alright," Hotch said standing up. "The drive will take a little less than 2 hours. Rossi and Prentiss, I want you to go down to the morgue to see if the coroner has any new information about the victims. J.J. and Reid, go down to the last scene. Maybe one of the women working there can remember the car that Colleen was last seen in. I'll be at the station. Looks like they have Colleen's mother there already. Let's go."

They didn't need to be told twice. They gathered up their paperwork, and went out to the black SUVS. Hotch was going to be taking his own car since he was the only one heading to the station, but the others carpooled with their partner of the day. Prentiss and Rossi left together, and the last one out of the parking lot was J.J. and Reid. It was freezing that day, and Reid didn't say one thing when she turned up the heat in the car.

"There might still be a sexual element to this case," Reid said. "He chose to stab the women instead of just shooting them. Stabbing requires him to be at a more personal level with the women. He wanted to watch them die."

"The crimes were all at a personal level," J.J. said agreeing. "But I've never seen a tongue being kept as a souvenir for the unsub." J.J. was beginning to wonder if the killer actually ate the tongues of his victims, but she didn't say so out loud. Cannibalism was never a fun subject to her, but she was sure that was going to be a topic at the station since the tongues never were found. She tried to concentrate more on the road than some man sitting alone in his apartment eating the tongues of young women. "How are you feeling Spence?"

"I'm alright," Reid said. "Mom is doing okay. She was talking a lot when I went to see her."

"Have you heard from Morgan?" J.J. asked.

"Not today. I understand why he left though. I would have done the same thing. He needs to be there for his family." Reid looked like he was about to drift away into his own little world, but he snapped out of it and went back to looking at the case files.

J.J. would leave the BAU too if something or someone was threatening to hurt her family. There wasn't even a question about it. She couldn't be surprised that Morgan left when he did, but she was still worried about the effects it might have on Reid. He seemed to be taking it well, but she wasn't going to pressure him about it. If he didn't want to talk to her about it, he didn't have to. He would come to her when he was ready. J.J. turned the heater up another notch, and just trailed behind Rossi and Prentiss on the freeway. This was going to be a long day.

 _sorry for the shorter chapter. most of my chapters are over 20 pages long, but I'm just getting into my own creation. plz review guys. reviews make me super happy and then I can get some feedback as to where 2 go from here. till next time xoxoxo_


	2. Chapter 2

_hi again my friendly readers! here is chapter 2 for u guys and sry for the delay. hopefully, the chapters will start coming faster now since I'm not writing 2 stories at once. just got a full time job tho. which isn't fun. but I can still write at night which is what I plan to do. this is my first story with 2 totally different and non related unsubs so we shall see how it goes. which one u guys like better? oh, and sum1 reviewed the first chapter mentioning they cant read this because morgan wont be in it. which isn't true lol. morgan isn't with the team anymore but he isn't going 2 stay away when reid needs him. lol. so enjoy_

"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day."  
― A.A. Milne

Adam stayed up all night long. He remembered watching the sun go down, and just a few hours ago, he watched the sun rise. He wasn't tired though. He was rarely tired anymore. He didn't know why, and he didn't care enough to find out why. Nothing much mattered anymore. He wasted his days doing absolutely nothing. The hours just seemed to disappear the second he logged onto a computer, and as long as no one bugged him, his days went by nicely. Those days were rare, and the older he got, the harder it became for him to just keep to himself. He came from a large family, and unlike the brother that came before him, Adam didn't move out of the house when he turned 18. He didn't move out when he was 21. He was pushing on 23 years old now, and he still had no prospects of life outside of his parent's house. He couldn't hold down a job for longer than a few months. It was no problem for him since he hated work, but it wasn't going to be possible to stay at home for much longer. His father was an abusive alcoholic who picked fights with Adam almost every single day of their miserable existence while his mother dragged Adam and the rest of his siblings to church after the younger ones were finished with their home schooling. His parents were opposites, and the only reason they were still together was because both of them were firmly against divorce so it didn't matter how many times his dad pushed his mother down the stairs. She was going to be with him until the day she died.

He had three brothers, including the one that already left home, and two sisters. He loved all of them dearly, and couldn't imagine life without them. Simon left them about five years ago, and since he was their first born, he was probably their favorite. He was the only one of the children that ever went to an actual school. He even got to go the school's prom which is something Adam couldn't even imagine in his wildest dreams. He got his own car when he turned 16, and he had complete control of his life when he graduated high school. Adam's childhood started out like Simon, but it changed drastically when his father was caught for sleeping with a prostitute in town. He was shamed from both family and friends, and that was when he allowed his wife to start home schooling their remaining children. Simon was too old at that point to be reined in from the life he knew, but Adam was changed forever. They stopped celebrating holidays. They didn't mention birthdays, and the children weren't allowed in shopping centers during Christmas time because they might accidentally see a Christmas elf. Adam was the only one that remembered the life before the prostitute, but he knew it was better for them. They didn't need evil or temptation in their lives. They said a prayer at every waking hour, and whenever his mother took the kids out, they dressed modestly.

Adam didn't talk to Simon since he moved out. He wanted to think that Simon was leading a holy life, but he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure about anything anymore, and he was getting worried about the eldest of his sisters, Esther. She didn't seem as devoted in her prayers as she used to be, and he caught her trying to sneak out of the house once. She was almost 18 years old, but she shouldn't be doing that. She should be listening to their mother. She was a pretty girl with dark hair and matching eyes, and she would be the perfect wife for any kind gentleman, but she was going to have to wait until marriage. She knew that. Adam knew that too, and it was hard. He vowed never to have sex until his honeymoon like God intended, but just like his dad warned him, it was more difficult said than done. His urges were becoming more frequent, and he was doing everything he could to avoid women. In the end, all of this was their fault. If Eve never took that apple, life would be so much easier on all of them, but she did. She sealed the fate for all of mankind. If Esther didn't watch her steps, she could end up on a deadly path very similar to the one that Eve took. He didn't want that for her.

His younger siblings were more willing to talk about God and prayer more than Esther was, but he didn't know for how long. They were all becoming teenagers, and that was when the wild side of youth tended to take over. Rachel was 14 years old, and she was promised her mother that she was going to devote herself to the Lord. She looked a lot like Esther with her dark hair and eyes, and he prayed that she would never try sneaking out of the house like Esther did. John was 12 years old, and even if their parents didn't see it yet, John was another they would have to watch out for as he got older. He was constantly trying to bend the rules to suit his own needs, and even though Adam never caught him in the act, he was pretty sure that John tried some of their dad's alcohol on more than one occasion. John had lighter hair than their sisters, a nice shade of chestnut with freckles over his nose, but he had the same dark eyes that were common for the Blackwell family. Adam's youngest brother, and the youngest of their family, was a bright eyed little boy named Timothy. At 10 years old, he was the most eager to pray, and whenever he forgot to mention someone in his prayers before bed time, he would cry and cry until he was allowed to redo them. He was also the most sheltered of the children. Adam could only count three stores that Timothy had ever been to. He had never been to a movie theater, a playground, or even on a bike ride around the block. Their mother was so afraid that she made mistakes with the older children so she wasn't going to mess up on little Timothy. He was going to remain pure for as long as she had him. Adam wished her luck.

If there was a black sheep of the family, it was their father. He never recovered from the traumatic event with the prostitute, and Adam vowed that he would do everything he could to help his dad. His dad never again ventured out into the night, but whenever he did leave the house, he came back with booze. He wasn't an angry or nasty person by nature, but alcohol made him do things that he wouldn't normally do. It turned him into something he wasn't, and the person he became was someone that their mother couldn't control. Adam and his siblings used to lock themselves in their room to escape the rage. Their mother took the constant abuse, but since she rarely left the house, no one else saw her bruises and it became common in the Blackwell household. Adam knew that his father was really a kind and gentle man. All of this hatred in his heart started after he met the whore. She did this to him, and she did this to their family. Adam didn't know what came over him when he first decided to track her down. It wasn't that long ago, and the Blackwell family never moved once after his parents were married. That meant the whore that ruined their family had to still be nearby, and he was going to find her. Whenever Adam told his parents he was out job hunting, he was really tracking down prostitutes and whores that had any kind of connection to his family.

It took about a year, but he finally traced down the woman that destroyed his family. He thought he did at least. It probably didn't matter if it was the right woman or not. God could see what he was trying to do, and it really wasn't a crime to rid the neighborhood of the sluts that ruined families. He kept a low profile when he talked to these women, and when he got the information he needed about the woman he was looking for, he tracked her down to a grocery store where she worked. She didn't finish her shift until late that night, but as soon as she went to her car, he attacked. The parking lot was empty so there weren't any witnesses, and God gave him strength he needed as he delivered the fatal stabs to the whore's chest. It didn't take that long for her to die, but she screamed a lot. No matter how many times he stabbed the witch, she wouldn't stop screaming. Adam shoved his hand into her mouth and pulled out her tongue just to shut the woman up. He didn't remember slicing her tongue from her mouth, and he didn't remember shoving it in his pocket until he got home later that night. After he put her tongue away for safe keeping, the woman stopped screaming and she stopped moving. She was dead. Adam stabbed her a few more times after she stopped moving to make sure she was gone, and he said a quick prayer for her soul when he was finished. She belonged to God now.

He didn't know what to do with her after he killed her. He didn't feel right leaving her, but he couldn't very well take her home with him. He ended up kicking her body underneath a trash can in an alley near the parking lot, and he walked back home. That's all she was now. She was garbage that needed to be taken out on trash day. He got back to his room without being seen, but he felt just awful for missing the night prayers. Before he fell asleep that night, he struck himself with his belt several times across his back until his skin was red and sore. He was sure that God was proud of him for saving his family and he slept well that night, but the abuse from his father continued. Adam couldn't figure out why. He killed the whore so their problems should have been over, but they weren't. His dad still struck their mother every chance he got, and every night ended with drunken arguments and verbal threats made to be his wife and his children. This needed to stop. It was then that Adam figured out his true purpose in the world. Destroying one whore wouldn't help anyone, but getting rid of all of them could save more families than he could count. His second kill wasn't planned out, and he wasn't as prepared as he was the night he killed Michelle Madison, but it was actually easier than the first. He slaughtered the second girl, a blonde with green eyes, without thinking too much about what he was doing. The morning after though, his father was in a terrific mood. He didn't drink all day, and Adam swore he heard his parents talking as he fell asleep that night which was rare in their household.

Adam was positive that he was doing God's work here on earth, and it was making a difference in people's lives. His father was drinking less, and even though he caught Esther trying to sneak out once more, John was getting in less trouble. Adam couldn't be prouder of him, but the apple of his eye was Timmy. He loved that little boy, and he looked forward to their morning prayers together. Adam was out of the house more and more, and if he moved out soon, he would barely have any time left with his youngest brother. He hated just thinking about it, but he couldn't stay at home forever.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. He turned off his computer, and opened up the shutters to let a little light in his room. He preferred darkness where he could feel alone with God, but it wasn't easy to have a decent conversation in the dark. When he felt his back room looked acceptable, he opened up his door and found Timmy waiting for him. Timmy was still wearing his dark blue pajamas, but he looked wide awake and he held his rosary in his hands.

"Are you ready for prayers yet?" Timmy asked him. Timmy had his legs crossed in front of him and he held a rosary in his hands.

"Give me a few minutes to change and I'll be right down," Adam said. He wasn't still dressed in his night wear, but he didn't remember ever putting that on last night. He didn't bother putting it on if he wasn't planning on sleeping, but he wanted something more appropriate to wear during prayers than an old tee shirt and jeans.

"Alright. Can I just wait out here? I'd like to walk down with you," Timmy said with the most angelic smile on his face. Adam hoped that when he had kids one day that at least one would be like his youngest brother. That would truly be a gift from above.

"Of course you can buddy," Adam said. He shut the door to give himself the privacy that he needed, but it didn't take long to change. He found a button down shirt that looked clean enough in his closet, and he put on a black pair of slacks from his dresser. After he brushed his hair, he found himself suitable for a conversation with the Lord.

When he opened up his door, he found Timmy still waiting for him. Without saying a word, he took a hold of his little brother's hand and they walked down the staircase together. Their mother was already in her favorite rocker waiting patiently for everyone to arrive. Esther and Rachael were sitting side by side on the couch, rosaries in hand, and John was sitting on the love seat all by himself. Their father was nowhere to be seen. Adam let Timmy sit next to John. Adam always preferred to stand during prayer so he took his place near the fireplace.

"Your father won't be joining us this morning," she told everyone as soon as Timmy took his seat. "He had a bad night and isn't feeling well. He will be around for afternoon prayers. Are we ready to begin?"

That was a lie. That was a flat out lie and Adam knew it. Their father wasn't sick. He was probably drinking again. Adam wasn't getting rid of enough prostitutes. That had to be the problem. If he could get out and kill one this afternoon, his dad would really start feeling like his old self again. Adam made the sign of the cross with the others to start the rosary, and he tried hard to focus on the holy words that were being spoken, but all he could think of was the next filthy whore that was going to die that day. He was ready.

* * *

Rossi and Prentiss were the first ones to reach Charlottesville. Rossi noticed Hotch's car behind them on the highway, and Reid and J.J. weren't that far behind. It was a chilly morning, and they didn't run into any traffic. Rossi figured that a lot of people were still on their Christmas break which was fine by him. He wouldn't mind sleeping in that morning, but the poor women that fell victim to this unsub probably wanted to sleep in too. They would never get that opportunity again. Rossi kept the folder with their pictures with it on his lap, and he looked over it again as they drove into the parking lot of the morgue. The women all did look very similar. They were pretty women, and they didn't deserve what happened to them. They were all from different neighborhoods though so either this unsub worked strange hours or didn't have a job.

"The unsub probably didn't look very threatening," Rossi said. He shut the folder and looked around the parking lot. It was empty except for one another car. "Word about a possible serial killer usually spreads fast in these communities so the girls don't see this guy as a threat."

"But he's physically strong enough to hold down these girls and stab them as many times as he did," Prentiss said. Prentiss parked the car outside the front door and they walked inside together. "Do you think he had some kind of connection to the first victim?"

"Or it was a meeting gone wrong," Rossi said. He pulled out the photo of the first known victim to the top of the pile. She was the oldest of the four known victims, but all of the women were in their 20s and it was hard to tell which one of them was really the oldest from looking at their photos alone. They had facial features similar to J.J. and that was something Rossi didn't want to think about much. She was out of the preferred age range of this unsub and she didn't choose the same career path that these women did, but Rossi was sure that if the unsub had a choice, he would love to add J.J. to his list. The unsub was never going to get that choice.

It was quiet inside in the morgue. There wasn't even music playing. Morgues weren't meant to be the most cheery of places, but this one was just plain depressing. The waiting area was small, with only about 5 chairs meant for guests, but there weren't any paintings on the wall to help lift people's spirits and Rossi couldn't even find a television to offer even a little distraction. This place housed dead bodies and apparently, the designers of the building wanted to make that clear. There wasn't anyone sitting at the front desk, but they heard someone walking around in the back so Prentiss dinged on the bell and they waited.

They didn't wait long. An elderly man with graying hair and rimmed glasses stuck his head out from around the corner. He looked surprisingly cheerful considering the kind of work he chose to do for the rest of his life, but he probably had to find some way to pass the time. If he felt as depressed as this place looked, he would be suicidal. He set a binder he was holding down on the counter, and hurried around to the front to meet them.

"Agents?" he said holding out his hand. Rossi wasn't fond of shaking hands with a coroner, but he held out his hand anyway. This man was probably cleaner than anyone else Rossi would meet the day. "Of course you're the agents. No one else would be here this early in the morning. Most people got work or they just want to sleep. Can't blame the latter now can we? Sleep is a good thing, and I'd probably be there right now but duty calls. Right agents? I didn't give you my name, did I? Then again, I don't think I ever caught yours. I'll go first. My name is Dr. Alexander Ricker. Really long name, right? But my mom only ever called me Alexander when I was in trouble. Which was a lot more often than you guys might think. She called me troublesome. I refer to my childhood self as more curious than troublesome though. To each his own right? Never had kids of my own so I guess I can't go around saying which kids are bad and which ones are just wild. Eh. Probably too old to learn now, right? Sorry I'm a blabber mouth. I don't get people in here a lot, and most the time the people are crying so they don't really feel like talking. Can't blame them, but it gets lonely in here. What are your names?"

Rossi smiled. The doctor was a complete opposite of the atmosphere in this place. Rossi liked that. "Agent David Rossi."

"I'm Emily Prentiss," Prentiss said. "Sorry to bring you out here this early in the morning. Have you had a chance to look at the fifth possible victim? I know she was brought in a few hours ago."

"Follow me," Ricker said. Rossi and Prentiss were led through the back doors and down a hallway to the room where the bodies were kept. The temperature dropped, and Rossi saw Prentiss zipping up her jacket a little. Ricker took no notice. The five bodies were all laid out on tables ready for the agents. They had their hair brushed out of their faces, and even though they had swelling around their mouths, it was hard to tell that anything was wrong. Ricker did an excellent job at cleaning them up. "Michelle Madison is the first one over here," Ricker said walking over to the first table.

Rossi walked over to the table and looked down at the young woman. She was pretty with blonde hair and freckles over her nose, but her skin showed the hard life she led on the streets. She had old scars over her cheeks and chin. "Did you find any drugs in her system?" Rossi asked. He pulled the sheet down over her hands and saw her fingers were badly cut up, and the pinky was probably broken. She fought back against her killer.

"Actually no," Ricker said. "The lady that identified her body told me that Madison was trying to turn her life around from the old days. She was working a full time job, and she wanted to go back to school. Her friend was right. There wasn't a single drug in her body. Or alcohol."

"So she wasn't a current prostitute," Prentiss said. "She had to be the intended target then. She made some John angry so he tracked her down."

"But why kill the other girls?" Rossi asked. Rossi felt terrible for them. Five sounded like a small number, but when he had to come face to face with the bodies, that small number became large. If he was claustrophobic at all, he wouldn't like being in that room. Rossi wandered over to the second girl. "What's her name?"

"Kristen Williams," Ricker said. Rossi wasn't expecting him to answer. "I know all of their names. I didn't like referring them to them as Jane Doe until they were identified because their names aren't Jane. It's almost as bad as calling them numbers in my book. Kristen was 22 years old. She was one of the youngest girls here."

Kristen's hair was a lighter shade of blonde than Madison's was, but they were all natural blondes. None of them were dying their hair. Kristen didn't have any freckles and her skin didn't look as bad as Madison's was, but she was still young and still learning the trade. She would have aged just like Madison over time if she kept up at this kind of work. It was a hard life, and Rossi couldn't imagine the events she went through that led up to her being murdered and dumped in some trash can.

"No drugs found in any of them?" Prentiss asked. She was already looking at the third victim.

"That's Emilee Peterson," Ricker said. "But no. Didn't find any drugs in any of their systems. There are signs that all of them did have drug use before. Needle marks and such, but they weren't doing any of that that nights they died." Rossi went over to Emilee's bed and pulled the sheet up over her hand. Her fingers were cut up and bruised too. All of them fought back against their murderer.

"What exactly was the cause of death?" Rossi asked. He covered Emiliee's hand back up and went over to look at the fourth victim.

"Colleen Patrick," Ricker said without anyone asking her name. "Youngest confirmed victim. All of them died from massive blood loss. They were stabbed between 6 and 12 times, and their tongues were removed before they were killed." Colleen still looked like she belonged in high school. She was the only one of the victims with bangs and her hair was still done in two braids that went down her shoulders.

"Before?" Rossi asked. The unsub had to be stronger than he thought to be able to hold down a screaming woman, get her mouth open, and saw her tongue off. "Do we know what kind of weapon he used to get their tongues out?"

"Difficult to say without being able to see the actual tongue itself, but I'd say some kind of butcher knife. That's the same kind of knife the young women were stabbed with."

"But no sexual assault?" Prentiss asked.

"None," Ricker said. "Colleen was still wearing a silver necklace when she was found along with the clothes she was murdered in. Was thinking this sicko might want to sell her jewelry. Might be worth something but he left it behind."

Rossi went over to the last woman laid out on the tables. She fit the type perfectly with her long blonde hair and doll like features. Her mouth was still badly swollen and she had a black eye. It looked like she fought back even more than the others did. "How long has she been dead?"

"That's the one I still don't know the name to," Ricker said with sadness to his voice. "Poor sweetie. I'll find out her name soon. She's been dead for just over a day. She hasn't started to bloat yet so it hasn't been that long. Just like the others though. Blonde hair and a missing tongue. If you asked me, I'd say she is the fifth victim of this ass you're looking for."

"I think so to," Rossi said.

"I'll tell Hotch," Prentiss said. She pulled out her phone and put it up to her ear as she left the room. Rossi glanced once more at the five victims and followed her out.

"We need to talk to the women out there," Rossi said. "We can find out who the last one is, but we really need to warn them to keep a look out. This guy is going to kill again soon."

Prentiss nodded, and she went outside after she shook Ricker's hand. Rossi watched her leave, and then turned around to thank Ricker himself. "Thanks again for coming in to see us," Rossi said. "You've helped us a lot."

"And thanks for paying me a visit," Ricker said smiling. "My doors are always open to friends. Just do me a favor if you can."

Rossi stopped at the doorway and turned around. Ricker was a man that Rossi was starting to really like, and he wouldn't mind coming to see him again. He just wanted it to be under different circumstances.

"Anything," Rossi said.

"Come back and tell me personally when you catch the son of bitch," Ricker said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Of course," Rossi said. Rossi always believed it was possible to make friends anywhere he went. The morgue was the last place he imagined he would find a new buddy, but Rossi would just love to have lunch with Alexander Ricker someday. "I'll see you again soon."

Ricker nodded, and Rossi ran out to the parking lot to Prentiss who was already getting in the car. She was off the phone already, but Rossi would just ask her what they said when they were on the road. She pulled out of her parking space, and Rossi watched Ricker's figure fade smaller and smaller as they got on the main roads. Rossi would make good on his promise, and as soon as they finished the case, he would see Ricker again.

* * *

Nick couldn't hang out in Charlottesville as long as he wanted to, but he did have enough time to get a feel for the area and find out where the BAU would be staying. He parked outside of a diner after his excursions at the local park. He got himself a soda and sat in his car to watch the roads. He knew what they would be driving, and since this diner was right off the freeway, they would have to be going in this direction. All he had to do was wait patiently. He was glad that he brought along a book for the ride, but he was starting to get lost in its pages when the first of the agents finally showed up. He just had enough time to look up, recognize their car, and get his engine started. He didn't even see who was riding in it. He hoped that Agent Reid was one of the passengers, but he didn't have time to second guess the choice he was making as he pulled out of the parking lot and followed behind their car at a safe distance. They would be on the lookout for any kind of suspicious vehicles, but Nick doubted that the Tongue Ripper would be smart enough to think that the FBI might be coming after him.

From what Nick could tell from the case, this guy wasn't smart at all. He attacked hookers at night using a knife. Out of all of the weapons in the world he could have used, he picked a knife. It was either because he liked to get really messy, which is what would happen when he stabbed the women to death, or it was because he couldn't afford to get something like a gun. It could even be a mixture of both, but Nick didn't like his work. It was sloppy, rushed, and it clearly wasn't thought through. Nick couldn't explain this nut's obsession with the tongues, but Nick couldn't explain a lot of things in this world. He couldn't explain why girls loved dressing up their tiny pets in pink dresses or why boys would jump off trains to impress someone that they liked. He would never have the answers to most of his questions, but maybe that is why he became a professor. He wanted to know. He wasn't satisfied with just any old answer given by some lazy ass teacher from his childhood who couldn't answer his hunger filled questions. He needed real answers. Is the human mind the same thing as the brain or do human beings actually have souls? When someone dies, are they transported to whatever after life they were raised to believe in or do they just disappear into nothingness? What about God? Is He real too or was the concept of some universal creator just a story made up by the first human beings to explain what they were doing there? If God was real, why would people like Nick even be allowed to exist?

Nick had to stop with his questions. If he kept thinking too hard, he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the road. That had to be his main priority. If he crashed into a tree and died on impact, he would never get the pleasure of meeting Spencer Reid face to face. He had to keep himself alive for that. Whoever was driving the car made a right turn on Cherry Lane. Nick didn't even have to look where they were headed. That's where the morgue was, but he turned down their road anyway and parked in front of somebody's house. It was actually a very nice house with white picket fence placed around their perfectly mowed lawn. What kind of family lived in this home? He was sure it was a couple with children, but what if he was wrong? Appearances could be so deceiving. The happiest looking person on the planet could be hiding the deepest and darkest secret that humanity couldn't even fathom. This little dollhouse could be storing the bodies of innocent people in its basement. Nick wanted to stay and find out who really owned the house, but that's not why he was there. He was on another mission. He looked across the street at the morgue and saw two agents get out of the vehicle. Neither one of them was Agent Reid. That was just his luck. One of them was the woman with black hair, and the man with her was an older fellow that looked a few years older than Nick.

He was feeling disappointed when he started his engine back up. He had no interest in either one of those agents, but he was positive that if he thought hard enough, he would know their names. He had been studying this team for years. It was only in recent times that Nick finally found the courage to do what he wanted to from the moment he laid eyes on Reid. He was going to take the young agent. It wasn't going to be today though, and it probably wasn't going to be tomorrow, but it was going to be soon. If he rushed into this, he would be making more mistakes than the Tongue Ripper did. He pulled back onto the main road, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw another one of the agent's cars gliding down the road. He got behind them, and kept up with their many turns along the route they chose. Unlike the first car, this one pulled over on the side of a terrible looking side of town. Men were smoking who knows what on the street corner, and barely dressed women were hanging out in front of a tattoo parlor. Nick didn't like it here. It didn't feel clean or safe, but this is where the agents were so Nick was going to have to stay. He pulled in some kind of dollar store across the street, but he didn't get out of his car. Instead, he turned around to keep his eyes on the black SUV.

A blonde agent got out of the driver's seat. Her hair was kept in a high ponytail, and she expertly circled around her car after a speeder whizzed by her on the road. Nick shifted his focus to the passenger side, and he could barely believe his luck when Agent Reid got out of the car. He waited for his partner, and both of them went down the alley near their vehicle. Nick had to restrain himself. If he went chasing after Reid right now, he would blow his cover and should be arrested for his stupidity alone. He was never that patient of a guy. Growing up, he was the kind of a kid who would search the house when his parents were away looking for his Christmas presents so when that special morning came, not a single gift he received was a real surprise. He supposed that ruined the fun, but he hated having to wait. He never got out of that bad habit. Agent Reid was wearing a suit with a black overcoat and what looked like a purple button up shirt underneath it with a matching tie. His messy hair fell around his face, and Nick was excited to see that it looked like Spencer was growing his hair back. Nick liked it when it was longer, but the further the agents got into the alleyway, the harder it was to see them. Nick resisted every single urge inside of him to cross the street to get a better view. Neither one of them were allowed to see his face. Yet.

Nick wasn't going to have any issues taking Reid. It would be easier than shooting that man in the park. The only problem that Nick was seeing was that Agent Reid was never alone. It didn't seem like the chief leader ever sent the young man out on his own. Nick assumed this was for Reid's safety, but that wasn't making it easy on Nick. Nick didn't want to take any of the others, but if he didn't have any other options, he wasn't going to have choice. He was going to have to plan for the abduction of one of Reid's good buddies, and from the looks of it, it was going to be the blonde lady. Reid got paired up with her a lot, and from Nick's observations, the blonde was one of the youngest members of their team. The abduction of two federal agents was going to be quite difficult, but not impossible. Nick wasn't one of those dreamers who would go out on a limb and say anything is possible with enough work and dedication because that simply wasn't true. Nick could dream of becoming a wolf until humanity was wiped out in some kind of mass extinction like what happened with the dinosaurs, but he was never going to become a wolf. The abduction of two agents wasn't an impossibility like some of his fantasies, and he was sure that is has been done before. Taking the two youngest members on the team was probably easier than going after someone like Hotch or Rossi. That was that older fellow's name. He was Rossi, and the little blonde paired up with Reid was J.J.

Nick wasn't completely satisfied when he pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to the freeway to go home. He really didn't want to have to take two agents. He wasn't planning for that, but at least now he knew what he needed to do. He was going to devise a plan to get both of them. It might work out well for him in the end. He could use J.J. to get Reid to behave and do what was asked of him. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. He wasn't going to keep J.J. long term though. He would keep her for a few days or just until her use ran out which wouldn't be long. She wasn't his intended target, but if taking her meant that he would get to keep Reid, it was going to be worth it. He was just going to have to kill her which wasn't going to be a daunting task. He could even just stab her to death and rip out of her tongue to make it look like she was another victim of the Tongue Ripper. Even he saw that she fit the victimology almost perfectly.

* * *

Adam left the house after their morning prayers. He told his mother that he was going out job hunting again. She always believed him, and when he told her later that he didn't get the job or they weren't hiring, she always blamed the bad job market. It was a lie that God was going to punish him for later, but he was doing this for the good of their community. They had to get rid of the filth in their neighborhood for it truly to be a thriving place to raise children in. This was the only way. Adam but a black jacket over his shirt to help himself blend into his surroundings, and then set out on foot to find another sacrifice. He never went out on foot before. He preferred driving around to random corners so the police wouldn't be able to track him down, but he was in a hurry. The authorities wouldn't be able to convict him anyway. He wasn't doing anything wrong, and if he ever had to explain his actions, they would side with him. Their lives at home were probably improving after the murders started too. They would understand, and might even encourage him to clean the area of the godless women.

He kept his right hand in his pocket where he was keeping his bible. He always had the Good Book with him at all times. It gave him the strength that he constantly needed to do God's work on earth. His knife was next to the bible. His head was bowed down as he walked so the cars driving by wouldn't notice him, and he kept a steady pace. He didn't know where he was going, but he would know when he got there. He was planning on killing the first blonde slut he found, and it wouldn't take that long. The women that worked nights usually didn't come out during the day so they wouldn't get arrested, but that didn't mean they hid during the day. They had errands to run, and some businesses closed after 5pm so they had runs to make too when the sun was out. Adam turned right on Sloan Ave, and he crossed himself when he saw a group of women standing around just talking to each other. He wasn't going to approach them. He had to wait for one of them to wander away from the herd for him to make his move. He went into a pharmacy to wait, and he had to calm himself down when he saw the store was selling Nativity scenes for half off because the holidays were over. They had no right to be making profits from the birth of their Lord and Savior. None of at all. The store needed to be burned down and the owner should be held accountable for the mockery he was making of the church. Adam wasn't the one to punish him though. He had his work cut out for him getting rid of all the whores, but Adam would pray for the store tonight. He wouldn't forget.

He ran his fingers over one of the little Nativities featuring what looked like a blonde Virgin Mary which was one of the most bizarre things that Adam had ever seen when a blonde woman walked up beside him. She picked out one of the larger Nativities and looked over it.

"I always come after Christmas to get the good deals," she said smiling at him. She had a twinkle in her dark green eyes, and even though she was wearing a sweater, it was opened just enough for Adam to get a good look at her cleavage. He knew that God was helping him, but he never dreamed of the whores just walking right up to him. "You too?"

"No," Adam said shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "I was just waiting for someone."

"Yeah, better to wait in here than outside in the cold," she said smiling. Was she flirting with him? He felt like puking. He never wanted to attract the physical interest of some slut. "My name is Susie. I've seen you around here before. You live near here?"

"No," Adam lied. He would ask God's forgiveness for that little lie tonight. There wasn't such thing as a 'white lie'. All lies were the same in God's book.

"Aw, ok," Susie said. She put the Nativity display in her shopping cart. "I might run into you later maybe if you come around again. Nice meeting you."

He stayed behind while she went up to the front of the store to check out. The Nativity was the only item she bought, and she left behind the cart after she made her purchase. She kept the Nativity scene in a bag provided by the store, and she left out of a side exit. Adam followed. If this was the woman that God wanted to be killed, Adam wasn't going to question it. Adam was happy when he saw the whore didn't own a car. She took her chosen path on foot, and Adam stayed behind her just out of view. When she turned down a desolate street, Adam made his move. He ran up behind her, put his hand over her mouth, and pulled her down an alley.

She was screaming underneath his hand, but she couldn't be heard and there was no one around to help her. She tried kicking him between the legs, but most of the women did and he was prepared for that. When her leg went up, he jammed her in the eye with his free hand. He pushed her on her back, and she fell on the hard street with a loud thud. He was on top of her before she had a chance to run, and her bag containing the Nativity scene fell out of her grasp. He kept his hand over her mouth while he took his knife out of his pocket. Tears were falling down her face as she weakly struggled to get free. It was a losing battle, and when she saw the knife, she tried kicking again. He put the knife up to her throat after he took his hand away from her mouth. Even whores deserved their final words.

"Please," she cried out. "Please. I'll do what you want. Just please let me go. I have some money in my pocket." God didn't care about how much money a person had and so neither did Adam.

"Are those your final words?" Adam asked her.

The tears were going down faster from her eyes and she tried moving again underneath his weight, but there was no use. He wasn't going to get up, but then she did something none of the other whores ever did. She bucked up against his body, and she brushed up against his member which was meant for no one to ever feel except for his wife on their wedding night. This whore was trying to tempt him, and against his will, he felt himself come alive down there. It was one of the strangest sensations he ever felt before, and he couldn't help but push his pelvis back against her. He put his free hand on her breast, and his fingers kneaded over the soft flesh he felt underneath the bra. For a moment, all he could think about was ripping off her clothes and taking her body as his own. His member was tucked away in his pants, but when he moved his hips between her legs again, he felt it becoming hard. This had to stop. He wasn't going to give her any final prayers to the Lord. If she didn't die now, he was going to do something that he would regret for the rest of his life. His virginity was meant for his wife, not for some slut on the streets.

He moved the knife away from her throat, and stabbed her deep in the breast that he was just holding. She screamed, but he wasn't going to stop. He dug his knife deep within her breast, and when he pulled it back out, he stabbed her again. And again. And again. He stabbed the whore until she stopped moving, and it was then that he opened her mouth and sawed off her tongue. He stuck it in his pocket like he always did, and he kicked her body underneath the dumpster just further down the alley. As he was leaving though, he saw the poor Nativity scene sitting like a piece of trash still in the bag it was purchased in. He couldn't leave it there. He took the little display out of the bag, tucked it underneath his arm, and walked home. He wasn't sure what he could do with it, but maybe it could be a gift for Timothy. The child didn't have many religious icons in his room yet so Timmy was sure to love it.

 _so which unsub u guys like better? adam or nick? like I said before, they r totally different unsubs but they r both fun in their own ways lol. plz review if u like. till next time guys! xoxoxo_


	3. Chapter 3

hey guys! back with the newest chapter. story is coming nicely along in my opinion. no warnings for this chapter but get prepared for the next few chapters cause angst is def coming. enjoy the chapter!

".Religion is for people who fear Hell, and spirituality is for people who have gone through Hell." Vine Deloria Jr.

Nick wasn't eager to head back home. He didn't have any papers to grade yet, and the last thing he wanted to do was see his wife, but he didn't have a choice. Life had to go on as normal. The agents were still going to be there tomorrow. If he rushed himself, he was bound to make more mistakes than he could afford. He had to buy his time. He didn't even have a plan yet. He only got to see Reid for a few fleeting moments, but that was all he needed to see that Reid wasn't going to ever be alone in this. Nick was going to have to assume that someone else was going to be with Reid when the two finally met. He didn't want to have to take anyone else. Reid was the only person he was interested in, but he wasn't against another abduction. Or murder. Whichever seemed easier would be the one Nick chose. He wasn't positive that Reid was going to be paired up with the blonde for the entire case, but he was going to map it out that way. He would consider himself lucky if he found Reid with J.J. She was easily the smallest member of their close knit team. She couldn't be that hard to take down. Nick might even have a good time doing it, and who knows? The blonde could come in handy down the road.

By the time Nick pulled into the driveway, it was already dark outside. The sun was still going down early most nights, and that was usually the time when he got to bed. Mornings came faster than he wanted. He was nocturnal by nature, but the excuse to sleep usually got him away from late night conversations with Abby. He opened the gate to their home with his remote. He didn't think any of their neighbors were potential robbers or anything. He just liked the gate for the extra privacy that it offered. It was money well spent in his opinion. Abby wasn't a huge fan of the gate, but he assured her that it was for their safety. He watched the gate slowly close after his car rolled past it, and he sat quietly with his thoughts as he drove up to the house. He was feeling in an alright mood. He still didn't have a solid plan as for the abduction, but he was confident that there weren't going to be any problems. He could easily overpower both Reid and J.J. Reid would belong to him soon enough. All of his fantasies disappeared the second he saw his wife sitting on their front porch with two steaming cups sitting on the coffee table. He didn't want to talk to her. Hell, he didn't even want to see her. He was just going to tell her that he had a headache and couldn't talk. That excuse always worked.

He parked by their front door. He only used their garages on the weekends. It was too much of a hassle to walk all the way over to the garages when he could just park out front. The roundabout offered shade for his car, and that's all he really needed. He didn't even need the shade during the winter months. He usually left before the sun was out. He put the car keys in his front pocket, and reluctantly got out of the car and went over to where his wife was sitting. She smiled at him. She was wearing a white nightgown that went down to her ankles with a matching robe to keep herself warmer. Her long red hair was parted down the sides of her head, and her green eyes were sparkling underneath the porch light. She would be a dream come true to most men, but Nick wasn't like most men.

"I made us some hot chocolate," Abby said. Nick sat down next to her, and picked up a cup. It felt warm in his hands. He took a sip of it and looked out across their property. It was a sight to behold. He could just make out her rose garden to the west of their swan fountain, and if he focused enough, he could see the tree swing he made facing their dining area. He didn't think he could ever love a property more than this one, and as much as he hated to admit it, Abby really did make the best hot chocolate he ever tasted.

"What's on your mind?" he finally asked. It wasn't like to her to just be waiting for him like this.

"A student," Abby said. She took a long sip of her hot beverage, and then put it back down. "Well, he's not a current student. I had him last semester. He said he would come back for my class this time around, but he's not there."

"Maybe he just changed his major," Nick said. Nick didn't care. He had a lot more on his mind than a missing college kid.

"I don't think he would have," Abby persisted. "I mean, he might have. He wasn't really talkative or anything, but he was letting me borrow his book and he was persistent in reminding me to return it as soon as I finished it."

"Did you read it?" Nick was mildly interested now.

"I couldn't finish it," Abby said. She picked the book up from her lap and handed it over to Nick. "It was way too Old Testament for my liking. Like, 'thou shall not work on Saturdays' or how about women who work should surely be put to death. I don't think anyone should be reading a book like this."

The book didn't have pretty art decorating its cover. There wasn't any art at all. It was a hard covered red book that felt heavy in his hands. He didn't like it either. He wasn't afraid of the contents or anything. There was just something about the book that he didn't like. He just couldn't put his finger on why. He flipped open the cover and saw a name printed nicely on the side. It was written so tiny that he could barely make out what it said. "His name is Adam?"

"Yes," Abby said. "Adam Blackwell. He wasn't the most brilliant guy in my class, but he asked a lot of questions. I know that he lives in Charlottesville. I was thinking maybe we could drive out there this weekend to look for him? He's not my student anymore, but I really want to return his book. And to check up on him. Other students were telling me he came from a really interesting household."

"Interesting how?"

"I don't know," Abby said. She took another sip of her drink, and looked back out towards her garden. "His mother gave him that book as a present when he turned 7 years old, and the last I heard, he still lives with her. A woman gave a child a graphic book out the evils of the world and what sinning will do to your immortal soul. That's the kind of house he came from."

Nick nodded. Religious freaks scared him more than any horror movie ever could. The insanity of Jim Jones drove Nick further away from religion than he ever thought possible. He never wanted to end up like that guy, and he never wanted to meet anyone like that guy. From the sounds of it, Adam sounded like he could possibly be that guy. "Do you know where he lives?"

"Not the exact address no," Abby said. "But I'm sure we could find it. He told he lives in a large house built in the late 1800s. I know that he had a lot of younger siblings so it would have to be a bigger house, and it's not far from where they go to church. The church is called Trinity Chapel."

Nick could look that up. Creepy big house near this church. It wouldn't be too hard to find, and Nick wouldn't give two shits about this kid if he didn't sound like he could be the unsub the team was looking for. Emotionally abused young man living under the constant threat of sin. Maybe he thought killing hookers was making God happy or something. None of the women were victims of sexual assault or the news would have been all over that, and weirdo Adam was probably attracted to these women but was scared to death to actually touch them. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. If Adam wasn't the unsub, Nick would honestly be surprised. Nick just had to get back there before the team found out.

"I wouldn't mind driving out there this weekend," Nick said with a smile. He wasn't going to wait until the weekend though. He would take his wife on Saturday. Nick was planning on going back there tomorrow after school. Abby would never know. "It can be like a mini vacation."

"Aw, thank you Nicky!" Abby said with the biggest smile across her face. She leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek. Her hair smelled like flowers. The shampoo she used would probably work on Reid as well. Nick's heart started pounding in his chest when he thought about the young agent taking a bath in his house. Nick bit his tongue to stop his excitement. Reid wasn't going to be there tonight. There was no need to get all happy over nothing. He would wait. Reid was going to be worth the wait. "I really hope we can find him. I'd like to find out why he isn't in my class this year."

He wasn't in her class because he was out killing prostitutes obviously. He handed the book back over to his wife. He wasn't interested in reading out how all of his sins were going to send him into the bowels of hell. If there was a God, Adam would love to sit down and have a beer with the guy. The almighty creator. The Great I Am Who Am. God made Adam the way he was so apparently God had no problem with it. Nick didn't think there was a God though so he had no fears of sinning or making some old man with a long beard mad at him.

"We'll find him," Nick told her. "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic that you remembered his book."

"I hope so," Abby said. Nick finished his hot chocolate, and put the empty cup back on the table. He wasn't sleepy, but he was ready for bed. He needed to think. Abby turned towards him, and let her robe fall off her right shoulder revealing some freckled skin. She crossed her legs together and leaned in his direction. She put her hand on his arm, but Nick wasn't turned on. He wasn't turned on at all. "I don't know if you're interested, but we haven't slept together in a while and I'm kind of in the mood right now. I've really missed you."

"Not tonight," Nick said getting up. "I have to wake up early tomorrow, but maybe we can try some role playing or something this weekend. I just have a lot to do in the morning and I don't want to sleep in," he lied. Nick had nothing to do in the morning.

"Oh," Abby said. She fell back in her chair trying to hide her obvious disappointment. "Yeah, we can do something fun this weekend when we go out. Maybe we could stay in a hotel or something." She pulled the robe back over her shoulder, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Please don't be mad at me," Nick said. He didn't care one way or the other how Abby felt, but he was pretending to be a good husband.

"I'm not," Abby said, but she wasn't even looking at him. She was off in her own little world again. She did that from time to time. She told him it was because she was the dreamer of the zodiac, but Nick didn't believe any of the zodiac signs either. When a person was born had nothing to do with the person they became. "I guess I just had a long day. Good night."

"Good night honey," Nick said. He thought about kissing her, but changed his mind. He didn't want the taste of her lips on his when he went to bed. Just thinking about that made him feel nauseated. Instead, he just went inside without another word leaving Abby to her thoughts. Nick had bigger things to worry about. He wasn't going to have a lot of time to get Reid's room ready for his arrival. That time was approaching fast.

* * *

Adam was exhausted that night. He killed the whore much earlier in the morning, but he spent the rest of the day wandering around town. He stopped by every church that he could find to repent for the sin of lying to his mother about job hunting. He didn't plan on actually looking for work until he fixed their family. He knew that was up to him. He couldn't just leave their abusive family with his younger siblings every day while he worked. They needed him. When he got home, he was too late to join his family with evening prayers. He missed that. He walked upstairs, and locked himself in his bedroom. He pulled out his whip from underneath his bed, and took off the shirt he was wearing. After he made sure it was folded neatly on his dresser and put away, he knelt down in front of the cross, and whipped himself across his back. He didn't keep track of how many times the whip broke open his skin. He lost count when he started to feel dizzy, but he deserved this. He wasn't doing this fun. It was hell, but he deserved it for lying to his mother. Sinners needed to be punished.

He said the Lord's Prayer as he finished with the whip, and when he was done with it, he put it underneath his bed again. He replaced the shirt he was wearing earlier with a black night shirt that would hide any blood that seeped through the material, and he pulled down his sheets to get ready to go to bed. Tomorrow would be better. He paid for his sins, and another whore was dead. Father would return to their family, and soon enough, everything would be like it used to be. Once his family was back to normal, Adam would be able to go on with his life. He would get a job and move out like he was supposed to. He would find a church going woman, marry her, and have a family of his own. He would find his own happily ever after.

Adam opened the window to let some of the cool night's air into his stuffy room when someone knocked on the door. It wasn't that late, but he wasn't in the mood for visitors. His back was stinging something awful and he was so tired, but if someone had the time to walk over to his room, the least he could do was answer. He turned up the lights brighter and opened up the door to find his youngest brother smiling at him. Timmy was already wearing his pajamas. His dark hair was brushed, and fluffy socks were keeping his feet warm. He was holding a book in his arms. Adam couldn't see the title, but he was sure their mother approved it first.

"I'm sorry you missed prayers," Timmy said. "I'm sure you said them already, but I was wondering if you want to read with me in the treehouse. It's been ages since you've been up there and I added some pretty cool stuff if you wanna see. I mean, you don't have to or anything but it would be fun I think."

If Adam had any kind of weakness in this mortal world, it was his baby brother. God put little Timmy in this world for Adam to protect. He could only pray his children would be as perfect as his brother was. Adam loved all of his siblings. God put them all together for a reason. That reason might never be entirely clear. He couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life in a room with somebody like Esther, but Timmy was something special. He couldn't picture a world without his little brother, and he vowed he would always be there for Timmy. That little boy would always be safe in his arms.

"Sure, I'll meet you up there," Adam said. It would be a perfect time to give the little guy the Nativity he rescued from the whore. Timmy was going to love it.

Timmy's eyes lit up with Adam's answer. "Thanks! It's a really good book too. I mean, we probably won't get to finish it tonight because it's like a billion pages long, but I know that you like reading just like me. It's going be loads of fun!" Timmy put the book up to his chest, and turned around to go back down the stairs. As soon as the child was out of sight, Adam took the Nativity out of his closet. It was already wrapped and ready to go. Adam was waiting for the perfect time to give Timmy the gift, and it seemed like now was it.

The house was quiet that night. Nobody was asleep yet though. Adam could see lights underneath doors as he strolled past them. There weren't any televisions in any of the bedrooms so his other siblings had to be reading or praying. Those were the only options. None of them had cell phones or laptops. He was the only one with that privilege, and that's because he was an adult that didn't allow his brothers or sisters access to it. Timmy had never even been allowed to see the wonders of the internet yet, but that was probably for the best. The internet was a dark place that could easily corrupt somebody as innocent as Timmy. He knew that Timmy would grow up eventually. He would come to learn the truth from lies he was told as a child, but that wasn't going to be for a long time. For now, the world was a safe place full of blue skies and fairy tales that always had happy endings.

It was cold outside. He didn't bring his robe though. He probably could have used it, but that could be more penance for the Lord. Many years ago, when Adam was feeling better, he went out to one of the state parks and collected all the fallen branches he could. He was the one that built Timmy the treehouse. It was meant for both of his younger brothers, and for a few months, all of them played in it and enjoyed it. As the years went on, the older boy grew out of it and it quickly became Timmy's little hideout. Whenever Timmy had a fight with one of their siblings or got scolded by their mother, the treehouse is where he would go until he calmed down. Adam would never regret the time or effort it took to build the stupid thing.

It was harder finding the ladder leading up the tree in the dark. There weren't any lights in the backyard, and he never had the best vision. He put his hand on the old tree to guide himself around without running into anything. He found the ladder near the back of the tree, but he crossed himself before going up. The ladder wasn't as sturdy as it used to be. One of these days, he had to go back out to the state park for more wood. Timmy deserved a new ladder. Adam held the present bag by its strap, and he carefully climbed up the ladder. Timmy was waiting for him at the top, and as soon as Adam was close enough, Timmy went inside the little house. It was really only one big main room with a smaller room off to the side. Adam found some old couch by a dumpster when he first built the house, but that was the only furniture Adam was ever able to get. Life got busy after that, and he had less and less time to devote to the treehouse.

Adam was surprised by what he saw when he got into the main room. Timmy had religious pictures on all of the walls, a purple beanbag chair near one of the windows, and there was even a little table that had books scattered across its surface. He was shocked. He knew he hadn't been up there in a few months, but it looked completely different. Timmy even had a torn up bed sheet that he was using as a curtain. The little guy really put a lot of work into making this place his own. Adam was proud.

"How did you do all this? It looks amazing!" Adam said. He really was puzzled by how Timmy could possibly do all of this by himself.

"Well, John helped me build the table. We only used the sticks and stuff from the backyard. That's why it's not that big, and dad got me the beanbag. I don't think he bought it or anything since it didn't look new when he brought it home, but it still looks epic. I did all the pictures and other stuff myself. It took like forever, but I like it. I still need to work on the other room though. I was thinking you could help me? You're better at building things than John is. Maybe you could even teach me?"

Adam honestly didn't know how much free time he was going to have. If their family life did improve at home, he was going to have to get a job. He wasn't going to have much more time at home, but he would never tell Timmy that. "Sure thing kiddo. I got you something. Maybe this can be the first item in that other room. It's not much."

Adam handed Timmy the bag, and the little boy sat down in the beanbag chair to open it. Adam sat across from him on the floor. Timmy felt around for a card, and when he couldn't find one, he carefully took off the tissue paper and pulled out the little Nativity. A smile grew across his face, and he jumped off the beanbag and into Adam's lap. Timmy hugged Adam as tightly as he could. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I just love it so much!"

"You really like it?" Adam asked. He already knew the answer, but he was just so thrilled that Timmy loved the Nativity. Adam was meant to find that whore earlier. His brother needed his own Nativity set.

"I don't like it. I love it!" Timmy exclaimed. "It's the best thing ever. I'm going to put it in the other room right away. Maybe tomorrow after lessons, you can help me build a shelf for it? I don't like it being on the ground."

"You're right," Adam said. "It shouldn't be on the ground. When I get home from the job hunt tomorrow, that's the first thing we'll do. Sound like a plan?"

"I love you Adam. I know I'm not supposed to say, but you're my favorite brother. I want to be just like you when I grow up." Adam felt proud.

"Stay close to the Lord, and you will become your own man," Adam told him.

Timmy ran his little fingers over the baby Jesus and kissed the figure softly. "I always will."

Adam smiled. "Let's read one chapter. Then I have to go to bed. If I want to get up early, I have to get to bed early. The earlier I leave, the earlier I can come back home and work on your shelf."

"Sounds just great," Timmy said. Timmy gently put his Nativity scene on his table, and scooted close to Adam with the book that Adam saw earlier. It was a book about Joan of Arc. This book was bound to be interesting. Adam leaned against the wall, and started reading at Chapter 1.

* * *

The team had a long first day down in Charlottesville. Reid and J.J. couldn't find any new information from the working women they spoke with, and all that Rossi and Prentiss found out at the morgue was that that last woman was another victim of their unsub. Hotch knew it wasn't realistic to hope for some huge lead on the case the first day they were on the job, but he was still wishing. Hotch was trying to figure out a profile on the unsub all night long. He didn't have much information to go on yet, but he was going to be able to build on it easily. He was positive the unsub was a young male. 20s or 30s. Physically fit. He had to be with the methods he killed these women. Their tongues were ripped out when they were still alive. He wasn't sure if the unsub was killing these women simply because they were easy targets or not. There could some deeper meaning behind why he chose prostitutes or if he knew the first woman or not. He could have had some intimate relationship with her that went sour or he was devolving and the further along he got, the closer he got to his real target. As much as he hated to admit it, another victim would be helpful to their case. They would really be able to see if he was getting more violent with the murders or not.

This unsub didn't seem particularly smart. The murders didn't require anything more than brutal force. They didn't seem planned out, and nothing was ever stolen from any of the scenes. If this guy was devolving, he was bound to make more and more mistakes. That's what Hotch needed to see. One mistake would have the BAU down on this unsub so fast his head would spin. Hotch was afraid of a violent confrontation though. Hotch trusted his team to make the right decisions, but he never liked putting them in violent situations. Hotch didn't want to decide this now, but he was pretty certain this unsub wasn't going to down without a fight.

Hotch went down to the hotel lobby to wait for the others when his phone started buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was the sheriff. He answered it before the second ring. "Hotch."

"There's been another body found," Williams said. "I haven't over there to check it out myself yet. Thought I'd give you a call first. From what my men are saying, this is another victim of the guy you're looking for."

"Missing tongue?" Hotch asked. He turned around when he heard a noise near the staircase. It was just Reid coming to join him. Hotch was already planning on seeing this body before the sheriff could finish his explanation. He motioned for Reid to join him, and the younger man followed without asking any questions.

"Yep. Missing tongue. Stabbed to death. Whole bit."

"Do you have a name yet?" Hotch asked. They got out to the parking lot, and went over to the SUV closest to the hotel. Hotch took the driver's seat.

"Of the victim? Not yet. One of my officers said he's seen this woman around town though. She's not a prostitute. Do you think the killer made a mistake?"

"Where is she at?" Hotch asked. "We are on our way there now. Don't let your officers touch anything until we get there."

"She's at Higley and Sloan, right by the gas station. I'll tell my men you're on the way." The sheriff ended the call, and Hotch pulled out onto the main road.

"He's having less time in between the victims," Reid noted.

"New area of town too," Hotch added. "Wonder if he lives near here." It wasn't that far away from one of the older neighborhoods of the town. It wouldn't be completely out there to think the unsub drove, or even walked, down to the gas station after he was having a sudden mental break to kill. If he was devolving, he wouldn't have time to scope out a place or carefully choose his next victim. He probably just killed the first woman he saw, and if the sheriff was right, this woman wasn't even a prostitute. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the unsub was out of his mind. He was going to be killing faster and faster now.

Hotch parked the SUV just outside of the yellow police tape. He looked around to see if anything caught his eye. He did see the gas station, but that was across the street. The nearest building to the scene looked like a pharmacy. Reid was looking at it too. They both ducked underneath the tape, and found a group of policeman looking down at the dead woman on the ground. Hotch pulled out his badge, and all of the officers stepped back except for one. He was taking pictures of the victim.

Reid got on his knees down by the woman to look over her. She was a pretty woman with blonde hair, and she was wearing a green sweater with a matching green headband. She had a blue skirt on that went down below her knees, and she had on heels that matched the sweater. Her skin looked clean, but she had been dead for a while. Her body looked stiff, and livor mortis was obvious in her legs and arms. She had been dead for at least a day. She was stabbed to death, just like the other women were. Hotch didn't want to look in her open mouth, but Reid did. Just like the sheriff told them, her tongue was missing.

Hotch couldn't tell yet if her attack was more brutal than the others, but a bag blowing in the soft breeze caught his eye. He walked over to it and picked it off the ground. It came from the pharmacy.

"He probably saw her when she was shopping," Reid said standing up. "He followed her out of the store and attacked her when she got near the alley."

"But there's nothing in the bag," Hotch said. It was possible this was just from another lazy shopper who didn't feel like throwing their bag away, but Hotch didn't think so. He looked in the bag and found a receipt with yesterday's date on it. He never robbed the victims before though. Why did he this time? This woman bought something, and apparently it was something the unsub wanted. Hotch looked again at the receipt, and saw the woman purchased a Nativity.

"What did she buy?" Reid asked. He walked over, and looked at the receipt himself.

"She went to the pharmacy, bought a Nativity at half off, got killed by the unsub, and then he took the Nativity scene. Why would he want one?" Hotch asked. This was another clue to his character for sure. Other women had money in their pockets and rings on their fingers, but he never wanted any of that. He did want the Nativity scene though. Why? It wasn't even Christmas.

"He didn't want to leave baby Jesus in some alley," Reid said. "He's murdering women that he thinks are prostitutes, and he rescues the baby Jesus from the cold night. He's doing all of this for religious reasons. He's trying to clean the streets of evil. He might have cut the tongue off of the first woman to stop her from screaming, and now he's just doing it out of habit. I think the coroner will tell us he cut the tongue off this woman after she was dead. That wound looked fresher than the other ones. I think she was the only one stabbed in the breast too. I don't remember seeing that on the other victims."

Hotch didn't either. This unsub was a sexually frustrated religious fellow who was growing more dangerous by the minute. "I think we're ready to give the profile. He's probably going to kill again today."

"I want to stop by the pharmacy first," Reid said.

"Why?" Hotch didn't think it was really an ideal time to go shopping.

"Security cameras," Reid said simply. "They probably have both the woman and the unsub following her on their cameras. We can find out who she is and see if anyone recognizes the man who was following her out."

Hotch smiled. He couldn't believe that he overlooked that. He followed Reid out of the alley to head over to the pharmacy, but he already decided that he didn't want Reid or J.J. going when they found the unsub. J.J. still looked a lot like every single victim of this guy, and he didn't want something going wrong during the standoff. If something happened to J.J. or Reid, he would never forgive himself. He'd rather just have them both wait at the station for him. If they were lucky, they might be able to talk the unsub out doing something stupid. He wasn't going to rely on that. This unsub wasn't the smartest tool in the shed which made him more dangerous.

* * *

Nick let all of his classes out early that day. He was anxious to get started. He didn't even know why. He didn't have a plan yet, but he was up most of the night getting the room ready for Spencer Reid's arrival. Once Reid got in there, there was no getting out. He made sure of that. The windows were already secured. He had bars on most of the windows already just to keep burglars out, and Reid's room was cut off from the main rooms of the house. Nick's wife would never be able to hear the young doctor's screams. He wasn't planning on going on that little trip with his wife either that weekend. He couldn't imagine sitting in a car with her for that long. He would go out of his mind. He would have to come up with a way to get out of it.

He let out his last class a lot earlier than he probably should of, and he set off on his drive back to Charlottesville. He had the weirdo from his wife's class name, the area of where he lived, and after looking up the neighborhood online; Nick was pretty sure which house this Adam lived in. He wouldn't be positive until he got down there of course, but he knew where he was going to hang out. Maybe he could follow Adam around for a little bit to see what kind of mischief that Adam got into, but Nick had a good feeling. If all went well, Nick would be taking Agent Reid home with him that very night. He couldn't wait.

It was a pleasant day outside. The sun was shining bright, and when Nick rolled down the windows, he could hear birds singing. Nothing could possibly go wrong on a day like this. He had his gun in the backseat, and ropes to keep Reid still on their drive back. Nick saw the house from the google images, and parked across the street from that. He didn't want to be seen, but there weren't any other cars on the street. It was still early afternoon so most people were probably still at work. He got out of the car. He didn't have any idea where he would go, but it wasn't that cold out there. He could use the exercise. He brought his phone with him. He wasn't expecting his wife to call him or anything. She didn't usually call, but he was more interested in googling this Adam Blackwell fellow. The internet was an amazing place.

He couldn't find any social networks belonging to Adam. Not one, but he did find an Esther Blackwell on Facebook. The profile was private, but the main photo was of a girl was of a teenage girl with dark hair and eyes. She was very pretty, and it said she lived in Charlottesville. This had to be one of Adam's sisters. Nick knew that Adam had several brothers and sisters, but if they were as sheltered and religious as Nick had come to believe, he found it very difficult believing that one of the children had a Facebook page. He assumed she could sneak out of the house with friends that her parents didn't know about to make one. Teenagers were always doing crap behind their parent's back. It didn't look like she had logged into her profile since December. Maybe her parents were getting stricter and enforcing her bedtime. He smiled. He couldn't imagine having a teenage daughter. That had to be hell in itself.

Nick looked up from his phone when he heard the front door of the house he was watching open. He held his breath. It wasn't Adam that came out of the house. It was a little boy with the same dark hair as his older siblings. He was wearing blue jeans, sneakers, and a blue sweater with a polar bear printed on it. He was an adorable child, probably about 9 years old, and when he got to the yard, he bent down and started pulling out weeds. Nick moved across the street without getting the child's attention. The little boy was lost in his own thoughts as Nick bent behind a bush to listen. Maybe the kid was waiting for his big brother to come home. Both of them looked over when a loud squeaking noise started coming from one of the trees just past the boy's driveway. The little guy looked back towards his house, but no one else came out. That's when the child decided to investigate the squeaking.

"Oh no," the little boy said. Nick peaked over from behind the bush, and saw the kid on his knees looking at a baby bird that had obviously fallen from the nest. "You poor thing. Your mother must be awfully worried about you. Don't you think?" The boy wasn't touching the squeaking bird. He was just watching. Kid was smart enough not to touch the bird. Nick didn't know if that saying was true, but everyone always advised children not to touch baby birds or their mothers wouldn't feed them anymore. That didn't seem true to Nick. He didn't think birds really had the best noses to be able to tell if a human touched their kids or not, but Nick didn't care about birds. He only wanted Reid.

"You're a very pretty little bird," the child continued. "Maybe you just hurt your wing or something. I'm sure mom wouldn't mind if you stayed in my room until you were all better. After all, God created you for a reason. Maybe I was meant to find you. I've always wanted a pet, and you are perfect. I'm going to call you Kasey. Do you like that name?"

The bird squeaked some kind of response. The bird was probably praying the kid would just leave so her mother could come get her. "I'll be right back ok?" the boy said. He got up and brushed the dirt off his pants. "I'm going to go find a box for you. You're going to love your new home, and I'll make sure you have lots of food and water. I'll be back in a flash."

Nick watched the child run back into his house. As soon as the boy was out of sight, Nick walked over to the tree to look at the baby bird. The little creature was squeaking at the top of her lungs, but her mother wasn't coming. She would never see her mother again. Nick bent over and scooped up the little creature. Her head was bald, but she had black feathers all over her body. She was probably some kind of crow. Nick hated crows. She stopped squeaking when Nick picked her up. Maybe she sensed what was coming. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket, held the bird tight, and stabbed the baby in the stomach with the keys. The bird screamed as loud as it could, but the scream was short lived just like her life was. He only had to turn the key around once in her stomach before it was over. She was dead. The little body went limp in his hands, and he threw the bird back against the tree where she was born. Her blood was splattered the tree, and Nick resisted the urge to laugh.

He went back behind the bush to wait for the boy. He got back to his hiding spot just in time. Timmy came out seconds later with a brown shoe box and a dish towel around his arm to pick up his new friend with. "Coming Kasey!" he announced loudly. He ran to the tree, dropped the shoe box, and screamed. "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no." The boy scooped up his dead buddy with the dish towel, and carefully put the bird in the shoe box. "Maybe Rachel can help. I know we have some band aids inside. Come on Kasey. You're going to be ok." He ran back in the house keeping the shoe box near his chest. Rachel was probably another one of his sisters, but she wasn't going to be able to save that bird. Kasey was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Nick went back to his car feeling more confident that this was house, and that it was more than likely that Adam Blackwell was the twat killing all of the hookers. Nick would just have to chill around the area until the BAU found out. He decided to go get some coffee and maybe a muffin at one of the cafes around there. It might be a while for the BAU made their move.

* * *

Adam didn't sleep. He tried to. He really did. He was exhausted after his day out, and reading with his little brother did calm him down before bed, but he couldn't sleep. Whenever he even tried closing his eyes, hellish visions filled his thoughts. Figures dressed in black surrounded him, laughing at him, damning him. Praying didn't help. Calling out for deliverance didn't help. Nothing he did would get the demons away from him, and the closer they got, the sicker he felt. His stomach was rolling and he could feel his own flesh melting off his bones. They didn't just come from the depth of hell. They were bringing hell to him, and there was nothing he could do to save his soul. He was cursed. He curled himself up in a ball, and prepared for the damnation of the eternal fire that was waiting for him when he woke up. He was sweating all over even though the bedroom window was wide open. He sat by the window to cool down his warm skin, but he couldn't shake off what he saw.

Wasn't he helping his family? He knew he was, but maybe he wasn't doing enough. That had to be the problem. If he got rid of more hookers, the world would be a better place. He would be working like one of God's most trusted angels. They never got to sleep so why should a sinner like him be allowed to? He shouldn't. He wasn't going to rest until the demons were out of his life. He didn't know how many more sluts were going to have to die. He didn't have a clue really, but he trusted that God would. He got on his knees, and he prayed for God's love and mercy until the winter sun was just starting to rise in the sky. He was sleepy when he got out of his night clothes, but if Christ could walk up a hill with the weight of a wooden cross on his back, Adam could get through a day without sleep. He just needed to find a hooker. Maybe even two. That would make him feel better.

He promised himself that he wouldn't forget about Timmy though. He promised his little brother that they were going to spend some time together, and he never backed down on a promise. He was just going to have to keep a good track of time. He always wore a watch, and he was usually pretty good at keeping track of how many hours he wasted away from home. He just hoped he didn't get too distracted by his current work at hand. God was on his side though. He knew that much, and God would give him what he needed to succeed.

Adam walked the streets by himself. He saw cars whizzing past him, but none stopped to ask him questions. They had no need to. He was just a normal guy, probably working towards enough money to purchase a car of his own. They were too busy with their own lives to notice the suffering man on the streets. He felt terrible. His stomach was cramping so badly that he could barely stand up straight. He didn't know why. All he knew was that he needed to find some slut. That would make him feel like a new person.

He couldn't walk longer than a few minutes before he felt so dizzy that he felt like fainting. He sat down on a park bench and pulled out the Bible. He could read for a little while to wait for the feeling to pass. He wouldn't be much good if he collapsed before the deed was done. He opened the book up to Genesis and was just starting to read when a woman walked by. Adam looked up, and felt for the knife in his pocket. It was there. It was always there just waiting for him. The slut had blonde hair, just like all of the others he sacrificed for his family and the Lord. She would fit in perfectly like the rest. She was wearing a pink sweater with matching short shorts, and she was speed walking to some kind of terrible music coming from her phone. She deserved to die for that music alone. It was awful, and it wouldn't stop. Adam kissed his book before putting it back in his right pocket. He pulled out his knife, and got behind the woman.

It was hard to keep up with her because she was walking so fast and he wasn't feeling well still. Sitting down didn't really help him. Getting rid of this slut whore would though. He got close enough to her to smell the sweet perfume that she wore and to see that her ponytail was tied in a pink rubber band to match what she was wearing, but he couldn't make his move until he was sure they were alone in the park. His stomach was cramping with the worst pain of his life, but he knew he couldn't have any witnesses. He looked around, but there wasn't anyone else. The park was empty except for the ducks swimming in the lake. He took a deep breath, and jumped on the woman as soon as she stopped for a break. She screamed, and tried kicking to get him off but he was prepared for that.

He didn't wait to hear her pleas or cries for mercy. He had to get rid of her and fast. He stabbed away at her stomach and breasts until a thundering headache almost knocked him out cold. When he looked down at the slut, blood was everywhere. He stabbed her a lot more than he meant to. There were deep slashes in her shoulders, arms, and even a few on her cheeks. He couldn't believe he did all that, but he wasn't alone. He was never alone. God was with him, and if this was how God wanted this woman to die, so be it. Adam crossed himself, and opened the slut's mouth up to get her bickering tongue out of there. He sawed it off as quickly as he could, and stuck it in his pocket next to the Bible.

Adam looked around when he finally found the energy to get back on his feet. He usually stuck the whores underneath or near garbage bins, but he couldn't see any around. Adam didn't know this park well, but he couldn't see anything other than little trash cans and the lake. He wouldn't feel comfortable putting the dead woman in the lake. Just picturing the little fish swimming in the lake nipping at her body made him feel nauseated. She wasn't going into the lake. He could drag her to some nearby alley, but that would just increase the chances of him getting noticed by some innocent passerby. He probably didn't have the strength anyway for that. Killing her didn't make him feel any better. He would have to kill another before he went home to see Timmy, but he needed to get rid of this woman first.

He could put her underneath one of the park benches though. That would work, and she would appear to anyone else playing in the park as just some bum catching some shut eye. He dragged her over to the closest bench he found, and twisted her legs so she could fit comfortably underneath it. She didn't exactly look like she was sleeping, but Adam was there a lot longer than he planned to be. He had to leave. He didn't have time to keep arranging her the way he wanted or to clean up all of the blood from the spot where he killed her. She would be found sooner or later, and from the looks of it, it was going to be sooner.

Adam got out of the park unseen. He was sure of it. He needed to kill another lost soul before going back home, but he had another stop first. He walked three blocks to the cozy church not far from his home. It was his favorite place to be. He felt safe in there. There weren't any cars in the parking lot so it would be his alone for a little while. The chapel's white wooden walls were chipped badly, and the grass outside the holy building looked dead. The poor church needed repairs badly, but this wasn't the best area of town. Donations were scarce so the church was forced to sit in ruin. If Adam ever did get money, he knew he would bring this church back to her glory days. She would look so inviting that people just walking on the street would just have to come in to have a chat with the Lord.

He pushed the church doors open and let himself inside. The first thing that caught his attention was the dust that made him sneeze. There used to be volunteers to clean up the church, but those days were over. Anything that wasn't in use was covered in a thick layer of dust. Even the statutes of holy figures needed to be repainted and shined up. It made Adam sad. A church should never look as bad as this one did. He genuflected when he got up to the cross, and he took the tongue out of his pocket. He walked around the altar like he always did, and opened the tabernacle making sure not to get any extra blood on its golden doors. He placed the tongue of his newest sacrifice on top of the others, and said the Lord's Prayer as he closed the door. When the prayer was finished, he walked back to the pews. He chose the pew closest to the altar, and got down on his knees to pray. Everything that he was belonged to God. Time seemed to stop when he was there. He never minded. There was no such thing as wasted time when he was talking with God.

 _sry for my super short intro letter and conclusion. I kinda have to b up for work in like less than 6 hours so I might die 2morrow but I really hope u guys enjoyed this chapter. I look forward to reading ur awsum reviews and get ready for the next chapter. warning everyone now cuz it will be one fun ride to go through. till next time xoxoxoxoox_


	4. Chapter 4

_hey guys. ur welcome for the faster update. I had some free time this weekend so I got the entire chapter done. things are picking up but theres warnings in this chapter. I don't think theres a lot of language but theres a pretty graphic scene so just preparing all of u guys for that. enjoy_

"Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age. The child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies."  
―Edna St. Vincent Millay

It wasn't busy in the pharmacy that morning. Reid wondered if the little place ever got that much business in the first place. A lot of the merchandise that Reid saw looked overpriced, and it wasn't exactly the best area of town. Reid followed Hotch up to the cash register where a woman in her 30s put the magazine she was reading down. She flashed a friendly smile towards them. Hotch pulled out his badge, and her smile disappeared. "Is everything alright officers? Or um agents? The store manager isn't here, but I'm the assistant manager so maybe I can help."

"My name is Aaron Hotchner and this is Dr. Reid," Hotch said as he put his badge away. "You have security cameras, right?"

"Yeah, follow me," the woman said. She waved at another employee, probably to get her register covered, and she led them to the back of the store. Reid only spotted one customer in the entire building, but it was a weekday morning. Most people were at work so when the victim was there yesterday morning, it was probably slow too. It wouldn't be that hard to see if anyone suspicious was following her. They followed her through the 'employees only' sign and into the back room. It was a smaller room with just a circular table and a few chairs so the employees could eat. There was a desktop computer next to a microwave, and she sat down in front of it. Hotch stood directly behind her while she got the folders up. Reid preferred to look around the room. He didn't want to stress her out, but there wasn't much to see in the room

"What dates are we looking for?" she asked. Reid glanced over a bulletin board on the wall, and saw the employee's photo next to the manager of the pharmacy. Her name was Camille, and the smile she had for the photo looked contagious. She was probably the assistant manager at the pharmacy quickly with a smile like that.

"Yesterday," Hotch told Camille. "Early morning. Probably right after the store opened. Were you working then?"

"I work here like every day," she said. "So ya. Gimme like one second." She clicked open several folders on the screen until she found the date they were looking for. Reid came back over when the video started playing, and the murdered woman was one of the very first people to come in the store that day.

"That's her," Hotch said quietly. They watched her wander around the store, not really focusing on anything until she got to the holiday section. Reid wondered why they still had Nativity scenes for sale in February, but he didn't say anything. She was looking at them when a man came up behind her. His brown hair looked greasy, and he kept switching his weight between his legs. He was fidgeting with his fingers, and one of his hands kept going back to his pocket. The woman said something to him, and after she bought the Nativity, she left the store. He followed her out. Hotch looked back at Reid. This was the man they were looking for.

"Can you go back to when that man entered the store?" Hotch asked her. He was already pulling out his phone.

Camille did as she was asked, and found the minute when he walked inside. Both of his hands were in his pockets, and his head was bowed down, but his face was still visible. Hotch took a photo of the screen shot, and went back to the bulletin board to make his phone call. "Garcia? Yeah, I'm sending you a photo now. How long will it take for you to tell me who he is?"

Reid walked over to where Hotch was standing to get a better look at the possible unsub. He looked sad. "You guys are looking for him?" Camille asked.

"We'd like to talk to him," Reid said. Just because the guy looked suspicious didn't mean he murdered the victim, but he did fit the description of what they thought the unsub looked like.

"I think I know him," Camille said. She put her dark braid back on her shoulder when she turned around to look at Reid. "I don't know him personally. He doesn't come in here a lot. The entire family is really weird though. Like, they rarely come outside so when they do, everyone notices. I remember seeing him yesterday. He didn't smell great."

"Do you know his name?" Reid asked. Hotch heard what she was saying, and he lowered his phone to hear her better.

"I don't know his first name, but he's one of the Blackwell brothers," Camille said with confidence to her voice. "They have a huge family. I feel sorry for the kids. Always wondered what goes on in that house. They never come outside so it must be something weird."

"Where do they live?" Hotch asked.

"The big house across from Trinity Church," Camille said. "Cross streets are um. Elm and Sossoman. Used to be a really nice area, but went downhill fast. Lots of abandoned houses. I think there's even this spooky old chapel over there. There was a fire in it a few years ago and it never recovered."

"Thank you for your help," Hotch said. He led the way out of the pharmacy, and didn't say anything until they were back in the SUV. "I think we should go over and have a talk with this Blackwell fellow. It's not too far from here." He pulled out of the parking lot when his phone started ringing in his pocket. He answered it on the first ring, like always, and put it on speaker.

"Morning agents," the sheriff said gruffly from the other line. "Bad news for you."

"What happened?" Hotch asked.

"Another body. Woman. Blonde hair, missing tongue. The whole bit. She hasn't been dead for that long, but there's a lot of blood. It's everywhere. I haven't seen this much the entire time I've been sheriff. Guy went psycho on her."

Hotch pulled off the road. Reid had a feeling that the unsub was going to kill again soon, but he didn't think it would be this soon. "Which park?" Hotch asked.

"Called Blue Lakes," the sheriff said. "Out on Sossoman and Main Street. This lady wasn't a prostitute either. Her kid goes to the same school my kid does. Nice lady. How far away are you?"

"We'll be there in a few minutes," Hotch said. He put the phone back in his pocket and changed directions.

"The Blackwell family lives on Sossoman and this park is on Sossoman," Reid pointed out. He was positive they should be going to check out the family instead of looking at another victim.

"I'll send Rossi and J.J. to talk to the famiy," Hotch said. "If this is another victim, I'd like to get a warning out to the public not to go out alone until this guy is caught."

Reid silently agreed. The unsub was done hunting for his victims at night. He was no prowling in the mornings for any female with blonde hair. He was getting more dangerous by the second, and he probably wasn't that far from murdering again today. If J.J. and Rossi sensed anything wrong with the Blackwell brothers, they would bring them in. Reid trusted their judgement, but he wanted to be going with them. He didn't want to look at another mutilated body.

* * *

Timmy ran upstairs to Adam's room after morning prayers. Adam missed them again. Timmy was sure that Adam had a good reason, but he'd love to see his big brother before he left again to go job hunting. He really wanted to tell about baby Kasey. He was wrong. Little Kasey didn't survive, and his prayers did nothing to bring her back to life. He was sure that Adam could comfort him and maybe help him bury Kasey, but Adam was always so busy looking for work. He prayed every day that Adam was going to get the best job that he could. He knew there weren't a lot of job openings out there, but Adam looked every single day. He was bound to come up with a job soon. Timmy knocked twice on his older brother's door, but Adam never answered. Timmy put his ear against the door, but it was quiet in the room. Adam had already left. He knew he shouldn't be disappointed, but he was. Adam was his most favorite brother, and it seemed like he was always gone. Timmy walked back down the stairs, and wandered over to the bookcase in the family room. He had a little bit of free time before their lessons started. He might as well read until his mother was ready. He sat down with the first book he found. He just got it open to the first chapter when the doorbell rang. He put the book on the couch, and went over to the door. He opened it up slightly, and saw two adults standing outside on the porch. It was a man and a lady that Timmy didn't recognize.

"Hi." Timmy said. He didn't want to be rude.

"Why hello there," the man said smiling. "My name is David Rossi, and this is J.J. What's your name?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," Timmy said honestly. He really wasn't. There were lots of bad people out there. His mom told him.

"Of course not," J.J. said. "That's a very smart thing to do. Is your mommy or daddy home?"

"Yes," Timmy said. He didn't think his dad was home, but his mom was still in the kitchen. Why would they want to see her?

An eternity went by before the two adults finally said something else. Timmy almost closed the door. "Can we talk to them?" J.J. asked.

"Um, ok," Timmy said. "Be right back. Promise." He shut the door softly, and ran into the kitchen where his mom was pouring some coffee. She still had bed head, but she was dressed in a skirt and button down shirt. She was almost ready to start her day. "Mom. There's people here. They want to see you."

"People?" she set the coffee cup down and turned around.

"Yep. At the front door."

She looked mildly confused, but followed Timmy out to the living room. Timmy stayed by the couch when she answered the door. "Can I help you?"

"Mrs. Blackwell?" David Rossi asked. Timmy remembered their names perfectly. He was always really good with names.

"Yes," she said.

"Hi," the pretty lady said. "My name is J.J. and this is David Rossi. We are with the FBI. Would you mind if we asked you a few questions?"

"Sure," his mom said slowly. She opened up the door wider for them, and the two agents walked inside. They looked around the house, but didn't move from the front area until Timmy's mom shut the door. She led them to the couch, and the three of them sat down. Timmy ran into the kitchen when they started talking. He wanted to eavesdrop, but he needed to be polite. He got out a plate, and pulled a few scones from the bin. He heated them up for about a minute, and then went back out into the living room holding the plate. The grownups stopped talking when they saw him with the food. They were probably hungry.

"Hi," he said again. J.J. was smiling at him. "I thought you might be hungry? Here are some blueberry scones. I made them myself so I know they are super good, and there's some orange juice in the fridge if you're thirsty too."

"I'd love one," David Rossi said. He took one from the plate, and Timmy felt really proud when the agent took a big bite. "It's delicious."

"Thanks so much!" Timmy said. He put the plate down in front of them. "They took like forever to make. Have as many as you want. Would you like some juice?"

"Maybe later," his mom said. "You need to go back to the kitchen while the adults talk. I'll tell you when we're done so don't be a bother."

"Yes ma'am," Timmy said. He didn't argue with his mother. He just left, but that didn't mean he couldn't listen to what they talked about. He was super curious about why the FBI agents were in his home. He got back in the kitchen, and crouched down against the fridge to listen to the conversation. No one could see him. He made sure of it.

"How many sons do you have?" J.J. asked.

"Just four," she told them. "Simon. Adam. John. Timmy. Timmy is the one that brought you the scones. He's a very nice boy. Why?"

"Do you know where all of them are?" David Rossi asked.

"John and Timmy are in the house. Adam is out job hunting, and Simon has been gone for a few years. He moved out of town. He doesn't visit much."

"How often does Adam go out job hunting?" J.J. asked.

"He goes every single day, but I don't see why any of this is your concern. He's my son. As soon as he gets a job, he'll be moved out just like Simon."

"Is this Adam?" J.J. asked. Timmy wanted to see if the pretty lady really brought a picture of his big brother, but he was too scared to peak. He didn't want to be caught.

"Yes," his mom said. "Looks like he's going to apply for a job or something."

"Can you tell us when he will be back?" David Rossi asked. "We have a few questions we'd like to ask him."

"I won't tell you one thing about Adam until you tell me what this is about."

Timmy felt nervous. He didn't know why. Something was wrong though. He knew that much. He just didn't know what. He bit the inside of his cheek to calm himself down.

"I'm sure you've heard about the murders?" David Rossi asked.

"Yes."

"Adam was seen following one of the victims out of a store," David Rossi said. "He's not in trouble or anything. We'd just like to know if he had the chance to talk to this woman before she died. He might have even seen the person who did it."

Timmy's mother got quiet. Usually when an adult said you weren't in trouble, you were totally in trouble. They just didn't want to upset you. Was Adam in trouble? Timmy knew that his big brother didn't hurt anybody. He really was just applying all over for a job. Why would he want to hurt some poor lady? He wouldn't. Timmy wanted to go out and tell the nice agents that his brother didn't do anything wrong, but he wasn't supposed to be listening. He would get yelled at later for spying. He couldn't come out until he was called, but his mom would probably forget by that point. If he wanted to help, he couldn't rely on her. He had to do it himself.

"He's usually home by supper time around 6pm," Timmy heard his mother saying. Timmy put his jacket on. He never got the chance to tell his mom or agents about the little baby bird, but he could tell them later. He needed to find Adam. He zipped up his jacket, and snuck out the kitchen door without being heard. He went out to his treehouse to wait for an adult to call him back inside, but no one came. He was on his own. He found his blue bike on the side of the house, opened the gate, and walked out with his bike. He was sure that he could find his big brother before the agents did. He could probably convince Adam to go talk to the agents himself to clear his name. That sounded like a good idea. Timmy didn't know exactly where Adam would be, but he thought he could check out the creepy chapel place first. Adam loved to hang out there. Timmy didn't know why. He was pretty sure it was haunted.

It only took a few minutes to get to the chapel. He felt bad for sneaking out, but his mom would understand. Adam needed Timmy. He would go right back home after he found Adam. He parked his bike by the front door, and walked up to the chapel. He didn't know why his brother liked this place better than Trinity Church. Timmy didn't feel peace inside of this one. It gave him bad vibes, but he'd only be in there for a minute. He pushed the doors open, and coughed when the dust shot up from the floor. He shielded his eyes from the dirt, and went inside.

"Adam? Are you in here?" Timmy called out. He didn't see Adam praying in any of the pews, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. Timmy counted his steps as he walked down the aisle. His gut was telling him to turn around, and he was going to after he checked out the back room. He got to the altar when he heard the boards creaking behind him. "Adam?" Timmy turned around, saw a man dressed in black, and felt sudden burning on his forehead. Timmy screamed as he fell to the floor, but when his head collided with the hard chapel ground, he was gone. His mind slipped into unconsciousness in the chapel that his brother loved.

* * *

Rossi was hoping to see Timmy again before they left, but Timmy never came back out. After talking to Mrs. Blackwell, he really wanted to meet Adam. Mrs. Blackwell was strange. The way she talked made it look like she was hiding something. Rossi was pretty sure she was hiding a black eye underneath her make up, and Rossi couldn't see a single family photo anywhere. Most families had framed photos hanging on the walls or placed above the fireplace. All Rossi could see was enough religious pictures to make him feel uncomfortable.

"What are you thinking?" J.J. asked when they got outside.

"That Adam Blackwell is a person that we have to talk to," Rossi said. "And that Mrs. Blackwell is either getting abused by her husband or her sons, and that those children rarely have visitors. Did you see how excited that little guy was when we came?"

"And she's not turning her abuser in because she wants to keep the family together," J.J. added.

"Or she thinks she deserves the abuse," Rossi said. They got in the car, but Rossi didn't start the engine. "I'm betting the younger children know about the abuse too. They shouldn't be in that house. I don't know how protective that woman is of her kids, but it's only a matter of time before the abuse starts happening to the children. They won't be able to defend themselves."

J.J. nodded. "I didn't see any marks on that little boy, but I agree. I don't think it's the unsub hurting his mom though. He's rarely home, and his focus is on blondes. His mom doesn't look like any of the victims. It's probably her husband."

"But then why would Adam be going after blonde prostitutes? With all that religious stuff on the walls, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to look for fun in the night. "Rossi said. He started up the car, and drove back onto the main road. He didn't want to go too far though. He wanted to be there when the second oldest Blackwell son returned home.

"I'm not sure," J.J. said. "Maybe he did try to get with a prostitute, and she rejected him or something. I'll tell Hotch we talked to Mrs. Blackwell, and that Adam was the guy following the victim out of the pharmacy."

Rossi listened to their conversation, and he decided to just head over to the park where Reid and Hotch still were. Police cars were everywhere. Rossi had a hard time just trying to find a parking place, but when he finally did, it wasn't difficult to find the crime scene. Rossi and J.J. showed their badges to get across the yellow tape, and they found Hotch still standing by the body. Reid was sitting on one of the benches nearby. He looked pale. When Rossi had a good look at the victim, he could see why. The woman looked a lot like J.J. She had the exact same shade of blonde hair, and her features were very similar to J.J. Rossi didn't like to look. She was stuffed underneath a park bench, but there was a long trail of blood leading to where the poor lady was brutally murdered.

"Overkill," Hotch said simply.

J.J. put her hand over her mouth and turned away. It was hard to look at even for Rossi. He didn't want to think about the horror this lady went through before the end. "She was jogging through the park and was attacked from behind," Rossi said. J.J. went to join Reid on the bench he was sitting on near the lake, and Rossi stepped up closer to Hotch.

"She looks a lot like J.J.," Rossi said.

"I know," Hotch said. "That's what Reid said. I don't think they should be there when we talk to Adam tonight."

"J.J. will want to," Rossi said. He knew that she would. She didn't like to be left behind.

"I know," Hotch said. "I just don't want this Adam Blackwell to be walking around and run into J.J. She fits his type and that worries me. What time did his mother said he'd be home?"

"Not until dinner time," Rossi said. "This woman was already identified?"

Hotch nodded. "Christy Meyer. 33 years old. Worked as a substitute teacher. Her daughter goes to the same school the sheriff's daughter does. Sheriff is telling her husband about it now. She had her wallet in her pocket, but the sheriff recognized her without it."

Rossi turned around. He didn't need to see anything else from the crime scene. The murders were getting worse, and Rossi couldn't wait to personally meet Adam. Rossi still couldn't figure out what this creep was doing with the tongues, but that's something he could ask Adam when they finally met. He was sure Adam would tell them.

"Let's get back to the station," Hotch said. "I'd like to have J.J. talk to the reporters. This guy is devolving fast, and I think it's a good idea to have women be aware of their surroundings since we don't know where this guy is yet."

"We won't mention Adam?" Rossi asked.

"Not yet," Hotch said. "We'll give the profile of the unsub. I don't want Adam to hear his name on the news and start killing more women just because he know he is almost finished."

Good point," Rossi said. Hotch went to get J.J. and Reid while Rossi stayed behind. He took one last look at Christy Meyer. Her daughter was never going to get over this. There wasn't anything else that be done to help Christy though. Her time was over, and soon the murders would be over too. This was going to stop today.

* * *

Nick was mad that the café didn't have any pumpkin lattes. They were his favorite. He knew that they only had that flavor in October, but that didn't make him feel any better. He was craving pumpkin, but he had to settle on vanilla. It did taste good, and it was delicious with his blueberry muffin for brunch. He didn't need the caffeine. He was already wide awake thinking about that night, but he supposed all energy was good energy. He sat in the café for an hour, and when he finished the book he brought along, he drove back to the Blackwell house. He wasn't expecting anything to happen until that afternoon so when a black SUV drove up, he couldn't believe his luck. All of this was just happening so fast. He bent over in his car so they wouldn't see him, but he didn't see Reid. He saw the cute blonde with the older fellow. Rossi. Why wasn't Reid with them? Adam wasn't home so Nick had to hope that Reid would be there later when they came to arrest the weirdo. If Reid didn't go with him, Nick's plan would be ruined. Reid had to be there.

Nick kept himself hidden until he saw the little Blackwell boy leave on his bike. The agents were still inside though. The kid was trying to sneak out. That's what was going on. Nick smiled. Children could be such fools. Nick turned on his car when the boy turned the corner. He didn't need to be directly behind the kid to know where he was going. Nick had a pretty good idea, and he was prepared. He gave the boy a few minutes to get there, and when Nick thought the kid arrived, Nick drove over. He parked his car in the deserted parking lot of the abandoned church, and took the baseball bat out of his car. He left the ropes where they were. He didn't need them to take down some snot nosed kid. He opened the church doors as quietly as he could. The doors announced his arrival, but the boy didn't turn around. He was too busy calling out for his brother. Nick put the baseball bat behind his left shoulder, and walked up behind the child. The idiot kid didn't turn around until Nick was directly behind him. He swung the back against the boy's forehead, and the boy fell right on the wooden floor. Blood rushed up to the spot on his head where the bat hit, but he didn't break the skin. The kid was going to have one nasty bruise when he woke up later.

Nick checked the boy's pockets for a cell phone. He didn't want to risk the idea of being tracked, but there wasn't a cell phone. There were random trinkets like bottle caps, pennies, and weirdly shaped rocks that only a child could love. Nick took all of the child's 'valuables' out of his pocket and scattered them across the altar of the old church. The boy wasn't going to need them anymore. He picked up the child with ease and flung the body over his shoulder. He was whistling as he went back out to his car. He was in a great mood. Everything was going his way. All he needed was for Reid to be there when they took Adam down. He opened up his trunk, and made room for the child. He laid the boy on his side, and went to work securing his wrists and ankles together. He wasn't going to have any mistakes. He waited too long to have anything go wrong. He didn't use ropes on the kid. He didn't need to. The boy had such skinny wrists and ankles that the boy's own shoe laces did the job quite well. He made sure they were nice and tight before he shut the trunk. The kid had enough air supply so he wasn't going to suffocate, and Nick would have the radio off so if the boy started screaming, Nick would know first.

He drove back to the café, but he didn't go back inside. He wasn't about to leave the kid alone just in case. He pulled out the second book he brought along on his trip, and opened up the book. It was a murder mystery, and he was always a huge fan of those. His wife never understood why. He leaned his seat back and started reading. It was going to be a while yet before the team arrived wearing their bullet proof vests at the Blackwell doorstep.

* * *

Adam's headache went away after he prayed, but his stomach cramp didn't. He felt sick to his stomach when he stood up again, but he had to. He couldn't stay in his beloved chapel all day long, and the afternoon was quickly approaching. He got back up, and stumbled back outside into the sunlight. He couldn't go home until he killed at least one more slut. One more slut was going to have to die. If his cramping went away by then, he might be up for killing three that day, but he would settle for two. He promised Timmy that he would be home as soon as he could to help with the treehouse. He intended to keep his promise.

Spring was coming. Adam could sense it in the air. It wasn't going to be a warm day, but it wasn't freezing outside either. The trees were getting their leaves back and it wouldn't be too long until the flowers started blooming again. Adam always loved the spring. That's when the world came back to life. Baby birds were born, the days got longer, and the resurrection of Christ would be soon. That was Adam's favorite holiday. He knew his family didn't celebrate, but he secretly always celebrated Easter. It needed to be celebrated, and he always snuck Timmy a piece of chocolate on that special day. That holy day was even more important than Christmas. It proved that Christ was the Lord, and that judgement day was coming for sinners. Easter was still a few months away, but Adam was grateful just thinking about it. Jesus gave his life for sinners that didn't even exist yet, and Adam was one of those sinners. He just prayed the life he was living was one that he could be proud of when his time came to meet God face to face.

Adam stumbled back onto the sidewalk. He knew he had blood on his shirt so he tried to keep himself off the busy roads. He didn't want to be seen by anybody. He just wanted to do the deed and get back home. Whenever he saw or heard a car coming, he would hide behind a tree or take cover behind a wall. Up to his knowledge, no one saw him walking that long sidewalk. He walked back to the pharmacy. He didn't even mean to. He just kept walking and walking until he ended back where he was yesterday. He wasn't stupid enough to go inside or down the alley where that slut whore lost her life. He stayed across the street. He could see a few policemen still guarding the area, but he imagined her body was already at the morgue. He didn't care so he kept on walking.

He walked until his stomach cramp was too much to stand. Why was it hurting so bad? Did he eat something that didn't agree with him? He didn't have any allergies, and he didn't think he was getting sick but that was always a possibility. Maybe one of the whores had the flu or something and he was unlucky enough to catch it. He stopped outside of some café and threw up behind their dumpsters. He looked down at what came out of his stomach. It didn't look like any food. It was yellow. Was it stomach acid? How in the world was he puking up stomach acid? His tummy calmed down a little after that, but he still felt sick. He needed to take a nap after he found the next whore. He would sleep for a little while before he helped his brother. If he didn't get his strength back, he wouldn't be any help at all.

Adam sat down on the curb outside the café. He didn't feel like walking anymore. He was just sit there until God presented him with the sacrifice. His headache was coming back so he rested his head in his hands for a little while. He didn't think that much time had gone by, but he when he looked up again, the sun was already going down in the west. He looked at his watch. It was already 4pm. He couldn't believe it. It didn't feel like he was napping for that long, but the watch didn't lie. It really was that late. If he didn't find some slut soon, he was going to miss working with his brother. He tried standing up, but his stomach cramp was back in full force. He sat back down. Out of all of the days in a year, why did he have to get sick on this one? Why? He prayed for the strength to get home. He was more worried about that than even finding a whore. He needed to go to bed. If his nap was short, he would still have time to help Timmy.

"Thirsty?" a woman asked.

Adam looked up and saw a lady offering him a drink. It looked like tea, but that wasn't what he was focusing on. The woman had blonde hair. She wore it short around her shoulders. She had a black headband in it matching the black dress she was wearing, and her makeup was light. She had a black coat over the dress, but the coat was open. She wasn't dressed like the average whore, but this was the whore that God picked out. Adam was going to have to make it work. He stood up and accepted the drink. The cool liquid felt good against his dry throat.

"Thanks," Adam said. He avoided eye contact.

"No problem," she said smiling. "Need a ride home? You don't look too great."

Adam didn't want to get into her car, but with the way he was feeling, he wasn't going to be able to make it back home on his own. He needed her help. He nodded, and she helped him get to his feet. He never felt so weak before. He didn't eat anything all day. That was probably part of the reason, but he never felt hungry. His stomach didn't growl once. She helped him over to red vw beetle car, and she supported him while he sat down in the passenger side. She hurried over to the driver's side, and after they both had their seatbelts on, she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Left or right?" she asked.

"Right," Adam said. He would have her drive to the street before his and kill her there. He would have to walk the rest of the way home. He really hoped Timmy wouldn't be too mad at him.

"My name is Danielle," she said as she turned. "What's your name?"

"Adam," he said. He was going to kill this woman in a few minutes. There was no reason to lie to her.

"Well, I hope you feel better soon Adam," she said.

"Turn right here," Adam said. He was still avoiding eye contact.

"I work in the café," Danielle continued. "It would be awesome to see you again. You were sitting outside for a long time the manager said. I was just stopping by to pick up the schedule and saw you out there."

"My house is coming up," Adam said. "You didn't work today?"

"No," Danielle said. "My dad died on Sunday. His funeral was today."

Adam finally looked over at her. Her concentration was on the road, but she looked sad. Adam saw a framed photo of an older gentleman in the backseat, and his stomach rolled again. He felt like he was going to puke in her car. He had to bite his tongue to stop himself. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," she said. "Heart attack. Mom was working, and when she got back home, she found him and it was too late. We didn't even know he had a heart problem. Mom isn't taking it too well."

"You live alone with her? No brothers or sisters?"

"Nope," Danielle said. "I was really spoiled growing up. I'm not going to be working full time again for a while though. Mom needs me home, ya know?"

God picked out a whore that just lost her father and whose mother still needed her. Adam wasn't fond of this choice. Not at all. She didn't even look that old. She was clearly younger than the slut from the park earlier, but Adam couldn't question God's choice. He kept his hand on his pocket while the slut drove him down the street before his.

"This house," Adam told her. He pulled the knife out of his pocket, but kept it hidden from her sight. The people that lived in the house she parked in front of moved out a week ago. The new family hadn't moved in yet. Adam wasn't even confident the house even sold. It wasn't in that awesome of condition. "Thanks so much for the ride."

"No problem" Danielle said. "It was a nice ride. Here, let me help you out."

She took off her seatbelt, and Adam knew it was time then to make his move. He raised his knife, and stabbed her as hard as he could in her back. She screamed, and tried turning around when he pulled the knife out and then back in. He could feel the blade going past the skin and directly into the muscle. His strength was returning to him and he stabbed the girl again and again. When he finally stopped the vicious assault, his arm was trembling. Blood was all over the once immaculate car, but the girl was still alive. She was moving her legs and trying in vain to get the door open. He didn't know how many times he stabbed her, but the slut had no business being alive.

He grabbed her, and pushed her against the seat on her back. She was crying as he raised the knife to her throat and ran the blade across the delicate skin. She tried to scream with her dying breath, but it just became a loud gurgling noise as the knife tore up her neck. She was finally dead. Her head didn't dramatically fall to one side like it did in the movies, but the life was gone from her green eyes. Adam wiped some of the blood off his hands onto her coat, and was trying to move her head so she wouldn't be facing the window when he spotted a gold locket she was wearing. One of his sisters might enjoy it since Danielle wouldn't need it anymore. He opened it up, and changed his mind about giving it away as a gift when he saw a tiny photo of Danielle with her daddy inside it. The whore would probably be buried in it. He opened up her mouth, and sawed her tongue off just like he did with the others. He put the tongue in his pocket, and when he felt like he was up for it, he got out of the car. He shut the door behind him, and started the long walk back home. He couldn't wait to see his nice warm bed. It was waiting for him.

* * *

Prentiss was more than ready when Hotch told them it was time to go to the Blackwell house. Hotch had them all wearing the bullet proof vests in case anything went wrong. Adam was considered armed and dangerous, and he probably wasn't going to go down without a fight. She agreed with Hotch. Adam Blackwell was going through what seemed like a mental breakdown, and he would do anything to justify his actions. The only thing she was really worried about was the number of children in the house. Even just one child was enough to make her want to put her gun away. She wasn't going to risk any of the kids getting hurt.

"How many kids are in the house?" Prentiss asked. She was riding with Hotch and Rossi to the house. Reid and J.J. were following in a separate car. They didn't leave at the same time, but they were planning on coming through the back yard so in case Adam tried to run, they would have him cornered.

"Four of them," Rossi said. "Oldest one is almost 18, but that's still a child in my book. Her name is Esther. Other daughter is Rachel and she's 14. The other two are boys. John is 12 years old, and the youngest one is Timmy is 10."

"If we can get Adam in one room, we can keep the children in one of the other rooms," Prentiss said. "I'd rather not have the kids running around. Or the parents. Unless they can help."

"They usually don't," Hotch said.

"But Mrs. Blackwell did call and tell us that Adam was back," Rossi pointed out. "And his shirt looked like there was blood on it. She sounded really worried."

"Tell her that we are almost there," Hotch said. "Just have her leave the front door unlocked and tell us where Adam is."

"I am now," Rossi said looking down at his phone.

"Have her keep the children in one room too," Prentiss added. She really didn't want to have them caught in the crossfire. She heard so many horror stories where a child came up to protect their mother or father and ended up getting shot in place of their parents. It made her sick just thinking about it. That was never going to happen on her watch.

"She said the kids are saying the rosary in her bedroom. Adam's room is in the back on the second level. She will point us in the right direction when we get there. She wants us to be quiet so the children aren't disturbed."

Prentiss didn't say, but there wasn't any chance of the kids not hearing at least a little of what was going on in Adam's room. Hotch parked across the street, and they tried their best to keep quiet as they got out of the SUV. Prentiss saw most of the lights were on inside the house. She didn't know if that was on purpose because Mrs. Blackwell was waiting for them or if that was her habit. It was dark on the neighborhood street. Prentiss didn't like it. She kept her gun in front of her, and followed Hotch inside the house. Rossi was close behind her. Mrs. Blackwell was waiting for them in the living room.

"There was blood all over his shirt," she said as soon as they shut the door. "I thought it was just a little when he walked in, but he came out to use the bathroom and it was all over him. What did he do? Oh dear Lord. What did he do?"

"Lead us to his room," Hotc said quietly.

She nodded, and they went up the stairs. Prentiss kept an eye on her surroundings. She wasn't expecting any surprises, but she was ready for one. She didn't think Adam would be waiting for them, but it was better to be prepared. Mrs. Blackwell stopped outside a bathroom and pointed to the last room in the hallway. "There. Please don't hurt my son."

Prentiss went to one side of the door and Rossi went to the other side. Hotch stood in the middle, and when he saw that everyone was ready, he cleared his throat. "Adam Blackwell. My name is Aaron Hotcher. Can you let me inside?"

"Go away," a voice from inside the room said.

"If you don't open the door, I'm going to have to kick it down," Hotch warned. "I'm going to ask you again to let me in. We just need to talk."

"I'm not going to talk to you," Adam firmly said. "I'm praying. Please leave."

Hotch looked at Prentiss and Rossi. The door was coming down. Hotch took a step back and kicked the door down. Keeping his gun in front of him, he ran into the room followed by Prentiss and Rossi. It was so dark in the room that Prentiss could barely see. When her eyes finally adjusted, she could see Adam on his knees by his head. He really was praying, but he looked startled when his room was suddenly full of strangers. He jumped on his bed and pulled something from underneath his sheets.

"Go away!" Adam shouted.

His mom wasn't exaggerating. He was still wearing the clothes he came home in, and there was blood all over his shirt and pants. "Adam, you need to calm down," Rossi said.

"I didn't do anything wrong. All three of you need to leave my room."

"What's in your pocket?" Prentiss asked. There was an obvious bulge to his right pocket, and there was blood soaking through the material. Prentiss didn't really want Adam to answer.

"None of your business. Now get out of here!" Adam shouted.

"We can't do that," Rossi said calmly. "Just come on out. I don't think your brothers and sisters want to be listening to any of this."

That got Adam thinking. He looked down on his bed, and Prentiss just noticed that he didn't look that well. He looked nauseated. He was sick. He was really sick.

"You love your little brothers and sisters, don't you?" Rossi asked.

"Yeah," Adam said softly. "There's a book in my bookcase about Joseph and his dream coat on the last shelf. Could you give that to Timmy please? He's going to love to read about it."

"Of course," Prentiss promised. She took a step towards him. He was going to have handcuffs on, but she wasn't against him wearing a jacket if he needed one. She didn't know any of his symptoms yet, but if it was the flu, he was probably feeling cold. She heard that was going around.

Without warning, Adam lunged at her with a knife. She took a step back. She was more startled than afraid. She was sure she wouldn't even need a gun to take down Adam, but her teammates had her back. Hotch fired two shots at Adam, and both shots hit the young man. He never even touched Prentiss. Adam fell down on his rug. He took one deep breath, but then he stopped moving. Rossi walked over to check Adam's pulse, and shook his head when he found none.

"Why did he try attacking me?" Prentiss asked. It didn't make sense. She didn't look like any of his types.

"He was past the point of sticking to his type," Rossi said. "You were a woman and that's all he saw. His forehead was burning up."

"I think he was sick," Prentiss said. "He looked like he was about to throw up. What's in his pocket?" She already knew the answer.

Rossi opened up the pocket, but didn't pull out what he saw. "Well, we found one of the tongues. I wonder if the rest are in his room somewhere. We should look after we get the kids out of here."

Prentiss turned on the lights to the room, and checked the bookcase. There was a book about Joseph on the last shelf. This man's last sane thought was about his brother. Prentiss would make sure the little boy got the book from his big brother.

"Where's my son?" Mrs. Blackwell screamed. She ran through the open door and over to the body of her son. She was screaming and turning Adam's body to wake him up. Prentiss felt for her. She couldn't imagine losing a child. She never had children herself, but she knew that parents were never meant to lose their children.

"I'm going to check on the kids," Rossi said. "I don't think they're praying anymore."

Prentiss shook her head. They probably stopped praying when Hotch kicked the door down. She didn't think anyone in that family was going to sleep that night. She probably wouldn't sleep either. She hated when cases ended in death.

* * *

Nick was parked across from the Blackwell house just as the sun set. The agents didn't show up until close to 7pm, but he was ready for them. The Blackwell kid was ready as well. The little boy woke up to complete terror about an hour ago, and it was an exciting adventure trying to keep the child quiet. He didn't want to have to use the bat on the boy again. He didn't know how much the kid's skull could handle, and he needed to keep him alive until Reid was his. He moved the boy to the front seat to keep a better eye on him, and he ended up stuffing one of the kid's socks in his mouth to keep him from screaming. Now that the little couldn't yell or plead for help, he just sat there with fat tears forming in his eyes. The kid could cry all he wanted. He wasn't going home. Nick needed him.

He hunched down when the first black SUV showed up. He looked out, and saw three agents go inside of the house. None of the agents were Reid which was good. He noticed that the agents usually split up when it came to dangerous cases. Some went through the front door while the others went through the back door. Nick took a deep breath. It was time. He got out of the car, and circled around to get the child. He flung the extra ropes around his shoulder, put his special purpose knife in his back pocket, and picked up the child. He made sure there weren't any cars coming his way, and he ran across the street. He snuck into the kid's backyard to wait. The backyard was a good sized one, and it was well taken care of. He walked over to the large tree near the back door. He needed to stay hidden until Reid got there. He tossed the child on the grass behind the tree, and he set down the supplies he brought. He was more than ready.

The little boy wasn't being exactly cooperative though. Whenever Nick wasn't looking, he kept trying to crawl away. Nick caught him every single time, and the kid was rewarded a slap on the cheek every time he tried. Nick was hoping the kid would just behave after a few slaps, but he just wouldn't stop. Nick would have killed the brat hours ago if he could have, but he needed the obnoxious child to get to Reid. He would do anything just to get Reid.

"If you're quiet like a good little boy, I might just let you go after this," Nick told the kid. "I won't need you anymore. Just give me a few more minutes."

They didn't have to wait for long. Nick heard someone else opening the back gate, and Nick held his position. He looked around the old tree, and saw the blonde agent walking towards the house with her gun drawn. Nick quietly got to his feet with the baseball bat. He wasn't going to get the kid for this part. He waited until she got close enough to his hiding spot, but he didn't need to announce his position. The child did that for him. When the little boy saw her, he tried screaming through the sock in his mouth. J.J. turned around. That wasn't part of his plan. She was never supposed to turn around. She was looking right at him when he bashed the baseball bat down on the side of her head. She hit the ground faster than the kid did. He didn't know if he was just getting better with working the bat or if he hit her harder than he did the boy, but he guessed it didn't really matter. She was on the ground and she wasn't moving.

"J.J.?" Reid called out. This was it. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He let the baseball bat stay behind the tree, but he pulled out his knife. He grabbed the child and circled around the tree to wait for Reid. The young agent was walking across the yard looking for his blonde friend when he spotted Nick. He stopped in his tracks and raised his gun at Nick. All Nick could do was smile. The child was struggling even more when he saw the agent, but Nick wasn't having any trouble keeping him in his arms.

"You need to let the little boy go," Reid said.

"Good evening Agent Reid," Nick said. He just couldn't stop smiling. It was finally happening. He could barely believe it.

Reid looked a little shaken that this stranger knew his name. He took a step back, but kept his gun raised. Nick didn't move at all. His put the silver bladed knife against the boy's throat. He could feel the kid trembling, and he was still making unintelligible noises from underneath the sock in his mouth. "Both of us know I can't do that."

Reid ran his tongue over his lips. Nick loved it when the boy did that. "If it's me you want, let the child go. He doesn't need to be here."

"Step closer agent," Nick told him. Reid looked at the little boy, and he stepped forward like he was told. Reid was going to do whatever Nick wanted if he thought he could save the kid.

"Put the gun down in front of you," Nick said. He kept the knife against the child's throat, but Reid did what Nick said. Reid put his gun down in the grass and took a step back with his hands raised. Reid was his now.

"My name is Nick," he told the agent. "We will have plenty of time for introductions later though. It's getting late so we don't have a lot of time. I never got the little guy's name. Never thought to ask him. Whenever I took the sock out of his mouth, all he did was scream so it wasn't really worth it. Doesn't matter now."

"Nick," Reid said taking another step forward. "I did what you asked me to. Please let the child go."

"Fine," Nick said. He lowered the knife away from the kid's throat, but he didn't push the child towards his home. He brought the knife lower to the kid's tummy and stabbed the little guy right around the belly button. This time, the little's boy screams penetrated through the sock in his mouth. Nick was positive they would be able to hear the brat from inside the house. He twisted the knife around in the boy's stomach and pulled it back out. The kid couldn't even hold his stomach in some last attempt to comfort himself with his hands behind his back. He fell down on the grass, and Reid ran over to catch the child. Nick let them have their moment as he went back behind the tree. He only had a few minutes to get back to the car.

"It's going to be okay," Reid whispered. Reid put his hands over the boy's stomach, but there was no saving the kid at this point. Nick was sure that Reid knew that. Reid took the sock out of the boy's mouth and tossed it on the grass.

"I want to see my mommy," the kid said.

Reid nodded. Nick put on the latex gloves he brought with him, and went over to where J.J. was still unconscious where she fell. He pulled the cell phone out of her pocket and put it near her head. He took off her vest, her shoes, but he kept her gun. That could come in handy later. He would have to take Reid's gun too.

"Find Adam," the child continued. "My tummy hurts."

Nick walked up behind Reid with the baseball bat. He would love to wait for some tearful goodbye between the two innocents, but he didn't have time. He raised the bat and winked at the little kid who was watching with wide eyes.

"Stop!" he cried out.

Reid turned around just as Nick swung the baseball bat at him. The baseball hit Reid in his forehead, and the young man fell unconscious next to the dying child. Nick kicked him on his leg to make sure the agent really was out of it, but Reid didn't move. He went to work getting off the agent's vest and shoes just like he did with J.J. He took the gun, and he picked up Reid. He was heavier than the kid was, but it wasn't anything Nick couldn't handle. Reid's hair was even softer than Nick imagined. It felt like silk. He walked as fast as he could with the unconscious agent over his shoulder, and once he got to his car, he tied up Reid's wrists and ankles with the rope. As he was leaving to go back to the yard, he saw Reid's belt. That was something Reid wasn't going to need. He could use that as a weapon later against Nick. Nick bent over and took the agent's belt off and threw it down the street.

When Nick got back to the yard, the brat kid was still alive. He wasn't moving much and he was on the verge of losing consciousness for the last time, but he was alive. His stomach probably hurt like hell. Nick ignored the kid and went over to J.J. He wasn't sure he she saw his face or not, but he wasn't going to risk just leaving her. He threw her over his shoulder like he did with Reid and hurried back to his car. He tossed her on top of Reid after he secured her wrists and ankles. He wasn't expecting Reid or J.J. to wake up on their way back home, but he was ready in case that did happen. He was prepared for the unexpected. He had a bottle of chloroform in the front seat, but he hit both of the agents hard. They weren't going to wake up.

Nick went back to the yard for a final time to look over and make sure he didn't forget anything. There wasn't anything else behind the tree. The only thing really left was the idiot kid who was still alive. He was breathing heavy and death was close, but why wasn't the kid dead yet? How long would it take? Nick got back on his knees and pulled out the trusty knife. If the boy saw him, he was past the point of caring. He never tried to scoot away. Nick put the blade back up to the boy's throat and ran the knife across. The boy's eyes got wide and his mouth opened up, but he didn't scream. He didn't even take some dramatic last breath. Before the knife was even all the way across, the boy's head dropped to the side. Dead. Dead. Dead. Nick didn't expect it would take so long to kill a kid, but it was finally over. Nick got to his feet and ran out of the yard and back to his car. He checked his back seat before he started the engine. Both of the agents were still sleeping. Tonight was going to be a fun night.

* * *

Rossi went to the room where Mrs. Blackwell said the children would be. When he opened the door, he saw three children huddling together against a bed. When they saw him, they made no move to get up. Rossi had to remind himself that these kids weren't used to strangers in their house, and they heard all of the commotion of what happened with Adam. They probably were terrified. Rossi put his gun away and stepped closer into the room.

"It's okay kids," Rossi said. "My name is David Rossi. I'm one of the good guys. Are any of your hurt?"

"No," the oldest girl said. She stood up, and brushed her dark hair onto her back. She was wearing a white nightgown that went past her knees. Rossi didn't even think they made pajamas like that anymore. The other two children stood up with her, but stayed behind her. "What happened? Is everything alright?"

"You guys will know more about what happened later," Rossi said. There was no way he was going to tell the kids that their brother was a serial killer who just tried attacking an FBI agent. "I'm taking you somewhere else to sleep tonight though. Your mother is coming with you. Is everyone here?"

"No," the only boy said. "Dad isn't here, and I don't know where Timmy is."

"Timmy?" Rossi asked. He remembered that little guy. He was the one who made the delicious scones from earlier.

"I haven't seen him since this morning," the boy said.

That was odd. They were homeschooled. Where could the kid have gotten off to?

"I told mom earlier," the oldest daughter. "But she didn't act like she heard me. She was worried a lot about Adam."

"When did you notice he was missing?' Rossi asked. It was possible the kid was hiding somewhere in the house. Maybe he sensed that something was wrong.

"After breakfast," the girl said. "After you guys left. I saw you here this morning with a blonde lady. Mama didn't even notice he wasn't here for afternoon prayers. She's been stressed today."

Maybe he overheard them talking about Adam. Where would he go? He wasn't in Adam's room. He would have been screaming.

"Did you check the treehouse?" the younger girl asked. She wore her dark hair in braids, and when she stepped forward, she was fiddling with the braids. "He goes up there lots."

"I'll check now," Rossi said. "Stay in here until we come get you. Alright?"

"Okay," the oldest daughter said. She put a protective arm over her younger siblings, and Rossi shut the door behind him when he left.

Rossi peaked back in Adam's room. Prentiss was trying to comfort Adam's mother, and Hotch was on the phone. "I'm going to check the treehouse outside. One of the kids might be hiding in it. He's not with the others."

"Alright," Hotch said. He put the phone back in his pocket. "Go see if Reid and J.J. are here yet. They aren't answering their phones."

"Will do," Rossi said. Reid and J.J. probably found the little guy outside and were with him. J.J. loved little Timmy too. Rossi went down the stairs two steps at a time, and went through the dark kitchen into the backyard. It was black out there compared to the rest of the house. It took a moment just for his eyes to adjust.

When his eyes were finally ready, he looked around for the treehouse. He was hoping that he could just call Timmy down. Rossi didn't think he would be able to climb up a flimsy ladder meant for children. The treehouse was directly in the middle of the yard, and from what Rossi could see, it was well built. Whoever made it put a lot of work into it.

"Timmy?" Rossi called out. No answer. He walked towards the old tree when a chill passed over him. It was cold outside, but that's not what gave him the feeling. Something was wrong. Rossi pulled out his gun and steadily walked towards the tree. He was paying close attention to everything around him. He was expecting something to pop out at him, but Adam was dead. There shouldn't be any other problems. Rossi didn't put his gun down though. The closer he got to the treehouse, the worse he felt. When he was directly underneath the tree, he saw a figure lying down on the grass. "Whose there?" Rossi asked, but the person on the ground didn't move.

Rossi put his gun back in its holster, and got on his knees next to the body. His hand went up to his mouth when he saw who it was. It was little Timmy. His throat had been slit, and his stomach had been cut open. Rossi stood up. He couldn't look at this any longer. He could look at corpses all day long, but not children. He took out his cell phone to get a better look at the yard. Adam didn't kill Timmy. His last words were about his beloved little brother, but if Adam didn't murder the child, who did? He didn't see Reid or J.J. anywhere. He dialed J.J.'s number and went back on the porch. When the phone started ringing, he could hear J.J.'s phone going off in a familiar ring tone. Was she by the gate? Rossi moved the phone away from his hear to listen for the cell, but the sound wasn't coming from the back gate. It was coming from near Timmy's body. Rossi used his phone for the light, and looked around the grass. J.J.'s phone was only steps away from Timmy. J.J. wasn't there. He ended the call, and dialed Reid's number. He was hoping against hope that the boy genius was going to answer, but Rossi heard Reid's phone buzzing from the grass. Rossi followed the loud vibration to another spot in the yard. His phone was right next to Timmy's body.

J.J.'s phone was on the ground. Reid's phone was on the ground, and there was a murdered child in between the phones. Rossi didn't know what happened, but Reid and J.J. were gone. Rossi called Hotch. Did the person who killed Timmy take Reid and J.J.?

"Did you find them?" Hotch asked.

"I found their phones," Rossi said.

"What?"

"You're going to need to come outside," Rossi told him. "Backyard. Now. I don't want to get into this over the phone, but I think we have a second unsub."

Rossi hung up the phone before Hotch could ask more questions. Rossi didn't think they were dealing with a second unsub. He knew they were. He looked back down at little Timmy's body lying dead in front of his treehouse. Timmy didn't just have a little cut on his tummy. His entire stomach was ripped open. Timmy was murdered with a gut hook blade.

 _so rip to adam. and timmy. and the little bird kasey from the previous chapter. I felt sad just writing about it. adam wasn't right in his head and poor timmy was in the wrong place at the wrong time trying to help his big brother. so freakin sad. but now u guys all know the kind of person that nick is. and that he really would do ANYTHING to get reid and now he has reid. till next time guys xoxooxoxo_


	5. Chapter 5

_so we meet again my faithful readers. this story is picking up its speed. slowly but steadily. now warnings for this chapter but all the warnings are right around the corner_

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."  
― Mark Twain

Hotch was grateful that this case was over. He was never happy when the unsub had to die. Adam was a young man who had a loving family and that was something that a lot of unsubs never knew, but he made his choice. There was no turning back. Adam's mother would never to get to visit her son in prison. The only place she would be able to see him anymore was a graveyard. Hotch was going to let Mrs. Blackwell have as much time with her son as she needed. Prentiss was on her knees trying to comfort the other woman, but it wasn't helping. Mrs. Blackwell was sobbing loudly and shaking Adam in a last attempt to wake him up. She could push him all she wanted. Adam wasn't going to wake up. When the sheriff got there, Hotch was going to tell him to let the woman have these last few moments with her son. It's something that a lot of parents never got. Hotch stepped aside to give the woman her privacy. He didn't feel the woman was going to do anything stupid like try to leave with Adam's body or try attacking the agents. Hotch turned towards the window to make another phone call to Reid. He couldn't figure out why Reid and J.J. weren't answering their phones. Something must have happened, but why was it so urgent that they couldn't even tell him? He pulled out his phone, and was momentarily relieved when he felt his phone buzzing, but it wasn't Reid. It wasn't J.J. It was just Rossi.

"Did you find them?" Hotch asked. He was starting to get worried. It wasn't like J.J. and Reid not to answer their phones. They might have gotten in a car accident on the way to the scene.

"I found their phones," Rossi said. Hotch didn't like the sound of that. He waved to Prentiss to let her know that he was leaving.

"What?" Hotch asked. Rossi found their phones? Hotch was still worried that there was some kind of terrible accident.

"You're going to need to come outside," Rossi told him. "Backyard. Now. I don't want to get into this over the phone, but I think we have a second unsub."

Hotch didn't have to be told twice. He hurried down the stairs, and turned on the outside lights. It was pitch black outside. He was surprised that Rossi could see anything, but why would Rossi be back there? If something happened to Reid and J.J., shouldn't Rossi be in the front yard? Hotch went out through the already opened door and found Rossi standing in front of the tree. It was quiet outside for the most part. Birds were already asleep, and none of the neighbors heard the commotion that went on inside the Blackwell house. They would all wake up the second the sheriff and his officers arrived, but for now it was quiet. It was peaceful, but Hotch was on edge.

Rossi didn't turn around when Hotch got outside, and he didn't offer any explanation for his call while Hotch was walking towards him. None was needed. Hotch could see the tiny body lying in the grass from the porch. It was a child, and Hotch didn't think he wanted to see more, but he didn't have the choice. He walked across the grass, and stood next to Rossi. Hotch didn't know the child's name, but he was sure he was one of the Blackwell boys. He was like a miniature version of Adam. Was this the brother that Adam was talking about before he died? Hotch got on his knees to get a closer look. The little boy had his throat cut open, similar to how many of the women were killed when Adam Blackwell was roaming the streets, but there was something different. The little boy's jacket was open, but whoever killed him ripped through his t shirt and penetrated him with some kind of hook that hunters used. It was the most gruesome thing that Hotch had ever seen in his entire life. Hotch had never been hunting before, but this child's murder didn't look all that different from what a hunter would do to a deer.

"Adam didn't do this," Rossi said after Hotch had enough time to let the murder sink in. "I didn't check, but I'm positive Timmy still has his tongue."

"This is Adam's brother?" Hotch asked. Timmy's hands were bound behind his back, and as Hotch examined his body, he saw that Timmy's ankles were also tied together. It wasn't rope though. It was a little white string. Hotch bent down closer, but he felt sick when he figured out what the restraint was. It was shoelaces. This little boy was tied up when his own shoelaces. Both of his shoes were missing, and he only had on one sock. There was a dark bruise on his forehead. That was probably how the boy was abducted, but what caught Hotch's eye was the tear stains on the child's cheeks. This little boy was crying before he died.

"Yes," Rossi said. "I met him earlier today. It looks like he just died too."

"He died right around the same time his brother did," Hotch said.

"And when I found Timmy, I decided to call Reid and J.J. again," Rossi explained. Rossi pulled his phone out and dialed Reid's number. For a moment, nothing happened. It was just the two agents staring at Timmy, but when Hotch heard a phone buzzing loudly next to him, his heart dropped. Right next to Timmy's body, Hotch could see a phone lighting up in the grass. It was Reid's phone. Rossi ended the call, but he didn't put his phone away. He called up J.J. next, and just like before, Hotch heard the phone ringing in the yard. Rossi ended the call.

"Okay," Hotch said standing up. "Is the car that J.J. and Reid were driving out front?"

"I'll check," Rossi said. Rossi went around to the gate, and Hotch turned around. He didn't want to look at the child's body anymore. How could something like this happen? It was all going so well. He was even thinking the team could go back home as early as the morning, but no one was going home now.

"Their car is right behind ours," Rossi said. Hotch had to snap out of it. They clearly had another unsub on their hands. Hotch couldn't be thinking about mourning for the little boy or about taking an early drive home. He had to think about Reid and J.J. He turned back around towards the body and looked around the yard. Besides the two cell phones, Hotch found what looked like a rolled up sock. That was probably used to keep Timmy from screaming. Hotch also found the vests that J.J. and Reid were wearing, their shoes, but their guns were missing. "I found a belt in the road too," Rossi continued. "I never really examined Reid's clothes or anything, but I'm betting it belonged to him."

"So Reid and J.J. come through the backyard," Hotch said trying to piece everything together in his mind. "And they see an abduction going on so they try to stop it."

"And the unsub decides to take them instead of the child," Rossi finished. "The child was killed so there wouldn't be any witnesses."

That didn't make much sense though. Why would somebody who was interested in a child completely change his mind and go after 2 adults instead? The unsub wasn't replacing the kid with an older kid or a younger kid. He just decided he didn't want a kid anymore, and he would settle for 2 adults. The child had to have still been alive when J.J. and Reid stumbled upon the scene, and the agents were trying to calm down whoever had the child, but how would it end with their abduction?

"Why would the unsub decide to change from kidnapping a little boy to adults instead?" Hotch asked. "He could have tried to hide with the little kid or run, but he decided to kill the little boy and take J.J. and Reid with him instead? I'm sure the abductor knew they were agents. I noticed the unsub took their guns too."

"Unless J.J. and Reid are out chasing him," Rossi said without much conviction.

"Without their vests or shoes," Hotch pointed out. "When the sheriff gets here, he needs to stay with the family. I want Prentiss down here."

"This unsub is smart," Rossi said. "Smarter than Adam."

It wouldn't take much to be smarter than Adam Blackwell. Most kids in grade school were smarter than Adam was. "What do you mean?"

"We have an unsub," Rossi said. "Most likely a male since he was able to abduct Reid and J.J. together. I don't think he was out there looking for random kids either. He chose the one house in the neighborhood that had the FBI inside. I think he knew we were going to be here. I don't know how, but he knew."

"Why would he care?"

"I don't think Timmy Blackwell was his intended target," Rossi said. "If it was, I'm sure he could have taken the boy and ran before J.J. and Reid even got there. I think he wanted them."

That made more sense than a random unsub getting lucky, but how would he know that Reid and J.J. would be there that night? "The unsub was stalking us." Hotch heard the sirens announcing the arrival of the sheriff, but his heart was pounding. While the team was busy looking for Adam, anther unsub was busy watching them. How long was this guy spying on them? Was he after J.J. or Reid or did he want both of them? What was he doing with them? "Get Prentiss."

Hotch got back on his knees in front of the child when Rossi left. He could hear the sheriff telling his officers to go inside. Hotch didn't want them in the backyard yet. He didn't want anybody but his team back there. J.J. and Reid had to still be alive. If this guy got off of just killing random people, their bodies would be around Timmy, but they weren't. It was just the little boy underneath the tree. Was the unsub stalking them before they even got to this town? Hotch couldn't believe it. He always felt a little bit of pride in his work, and he paid more attention to his surroundings than the average person. If somebody had been watching them, Hotch would have spotted the person, but the person wasn't spying on him. The unsub didn't go after Rossi or Prentiss who would have both caught this guy in his stalker phase. The unsub went after the two youngest members of the team. Was that why the unsub wanted them? Was it because they were the easiest to abduct or was there another reason?

"Oh my God," Prentiss said softly as she walked up behind him. Hotch stood up to let her get a better look. "His stomach. Adam didn't do this." Prentiss took off her jacket, and covered up the little boy's stomach. All three of them got a good look at what this unsub was capable of. They didn't need to see it anymore. Hotch just didn't like thinking that Reid and J.J. were alone with the monster that butchered a child.

"No," Hotch said. "Somebody was stalking J.J. and Reid. He probably followed them to this house, and he took his chance when the rest of us were inside."

"His focus was probably only on one of them," Rossi added.

"But the other one was a witness so he chose to take both of them rather than killing again," Prentiss concluded.

"Do you think he wanted J.J.?" Rossi asked. "And Reid saw the abduction going on and he tried to rescue her."

"Or the unsub wanted Reid," Hotch said. Hotch didn't know what it was about Reid, but he attracted a lot of unwanted attention from unsubs. "I want to find out when he kidnapped Timmy. If this was his plan all along, he probably had this little boy longer than just tonight."

"His siblings don't remember the last time they saw him," Rossi said. "But I remember seeing him this morning."

Hotch wasn't looking forward to telling Timmy's mother that she lost a second son. She wasn't taking the first death very well so Hotch couldn't even begin to imagine how she would take this one. "Okay. I'll go get the sheriff. He needs to know." After Hotch told the sheriff, his team would be able to concentrate on the new unsub while the sheriff worked with the Blackwell family. Hotch wanted the mother and her remaining children moved to protective custody. Just because Hotch felt that the real targets were Reid and J.J., that didn't mean the family was safe. Hotch could be wrong, and the unsub could be coming back for the rest of the Blackwells.

"I'll call Garcia," Rossi said. "She's going to be wondering what happened to all of us if someone doesn't call her soon." Hotch nodded, but he didn't stay around to listen to the call. He walked out to the front yard where the sheriff was already sending officers inside to access the situation. Hotch took a deep breath and walked over to the sheriff.

* * *

The ride back home went just as Nick planned. There wasn't any traffic, he didn't have any problems with his car, and he didn't run into any police. It was just a nice drive home. Neither one of the agents ever woke up. When he pulled up to his front gate, he was nervous. His wife was known for staying up late. That's why she liked teaching her classes at night. She was always nocturnal, and sometimes her adventures in the dark led to late night swimming or reading on the porch until dawn. The gate opened with a loud creak. He really needed to get the damned thing fixed, but that was for another time. He turned down the radio, and slowly drove up to the front door. He didn't see any lights on around the pool, and he felt blessed when he didn't see Abby sitting outside. She must have already gone to bed. He was probably going to have to explain his absence to her in the morning, but it wasn't going to be that difficult to come up with some excuse that would satisfy her. He turned off the engine, put the keys in his pocket, and got out of his car. He knew where he was planning on keeping the agents, but he never did come up with a good plan of how to exactly get them up there. He opened the backseat of the car, and found the agents just how he left them. He knew he wouldn't have much time left before they woke up, and once they were awake, they would fight. He had to do this fast.

He made sure both of them were still secured by the ropes. He waited too long for this to make any mistakes. When he was positive that the agents couldn't move, he picked up J.J. and flung her over his shoulder. She wasn't really that heavy, but it was a long way to their room. He hoped he wasn't going to be too tired by the time he went back for Reid. He opened the front door to his home, and stepped inside. It was dark. Abby hadn't left any lights on for him. It didn't matter. He knew this house well enough to go through its long hallways in the dark. He went straight up the right hand side of the staircase in front of him. Nick went quickly up the stairs and made another right. If he went left, that would just eventually lead to the bedroom. Reid and J.J. weren't going to be anywhere near where Abby slept at night. Nick passed many rooms on his way to the third level of the house. An elevator at the end of the hallway was the easiest way to get up there, and that meant Nick wouldn't have to climb another set of stairs with an unconscious woman on his shoulder. He took the elevator up, and sighed in relief when he reached the third floor. Abby didn't like it up there. She was afraid of heights, and so she almost never visited these rooms. It was perfect.

Nick went to the last room at the end of the hallway and opened the door. It was right next to where he kept his study so he would be able to hear when the agents woke up. The room itself was one of the smallest ones in the house. There was a single twin sized bed next to a little window that overlooked the front yard. He had no worries about J.J. or Reid using the window as a means of escape. There wasn't any kind of vine or roof space for them to use to get down to the yard. It was just a window with a huge drop. If either one of them tried to jump, they would break their necks. At one time, the room was also equipped with a dresser and a night stand there so visitors could store their personal items. Reid and J.J. weren't going to have any items, and Nick wasn't going to have anything in the room that the agents could use as a weapon. He made sure all of the furniture was removed before J.J. and Reid got there. The only thing he kept in the room was the bed. The room also had an attached bathroom, but that door was locked. If the agents ever proved themselves trustworthy, he would let them have this room, but not yet.

He went through the room to a door next to the bathroom. He opened it up, and found another staircase. He turned on the light, and took J.J. up to the room that she would be staying in. It was the attic. It was a spacy attic, and it was probably a treasure for any children that lived in the house before Nick moved in. When Nick first chose the attic to be the prison, he had to go through the grueling task of looking through all the boxes to make sure there weren't any weapons that the agents could use against him. Nick found less than a hundred books, several old dolls and toys, and he even found an old child's bike up in that attic. He got rid of all of that while his wife was at work. He called some donation company, and it was their job to remove all of the priceless gems from the attic. He didn't care if anything found up there was worth money. The only thing he wanted was Reid. Nick did leave a few boxes behind full of old photos of people he didn't know, but that was all. He didn't know how long J.J. and Reid were going to be staying with him, but he did know that neither one of them would be leaving his house alive.

Nick found the corner where old pipes were still placed along the walls. He eventually wanted to give them access to walk around, but he couldn't do that until they were ready. He was just worried that J.J. would be a problem. He didn't want to have to abduct two of the agents. He just didn't have a choice, and now that she was here, he had no idea what to do with her. He kept the ropes tied to her ankles, but he took off the ones on her wrists. He replaced them with a pair of handcuffs he had in his jacket. He pulled her arms behind her back and attached the handcuffs to the pipe. She wasn't awake yet, but she moved her head a little when he stepped back. He didn't care if she woke up now that she was trapped, but Reid was still in the car. Nick didn't have time to sit around admiring his work. He needed to get Reid. He left the door leading to the attic open, but he shut all of the others. If J.J. woke up, she might start screaming. He didn't think Abby would be able to hear, but he shut the doors anyway.

When Nick finally got back to the car, Reid was still out of it. He wasn't moving around at all, but Nick was done wasting time. He threw Reid over his shoulder, and went back inside the house and up to the attic. Reid was heavier than J.J., and while Nick did break a sweat going up those stairs, he never stumbled. He could never drop Reid. When he reached the attic, he carefully set Reid down next to J.J. Just like he did with the woman, he took the ropes off of Reid's skinny wrists, and replaced them with handcuffs. He pulled Reid's arms behind his back and attached the cuffs to the pipe. Nick could finally relax. It was done. He just wished that they were awake. He couldn't wait to talk to Reid, but neither one of them were stirring. J.J. wasn't even moving anymore. He would be so disappointed if they woke up when he was at work. He wanted to be there when they first opened their eyes. He took the discarded ropes and went back downstairs. He needed to check over his car to make sure he didn't leave any evidence of the agents ever being there. J.J. and Reid didn't look like they were going to wake up any time soon.

* * *

Prentiss didn't sleep all night. She couldn't. Hotch did send them back to the hotel so they could sleep a few hours, but Prentiss couldn't close her eyes. She didn't think the others did either. When she was in her bed, all she could think about was J.J. and Reid. What were they doing before they were abducted? She imagined Reid wandering into the backyard first, and maybe the screaming child distracted them. Maybe they were trying to help Timmy Blackwell when they were attacked from behind. Prentiss couldn't put the pieces of the puzzle together just yet. There were just too many unanswered questions, but she knew the person who abducted them was waiting for them. Was there something she could have done to have prevented it? What if she went looking for J.J. and Reid right after Adam was taken down? She didn't have any reason to be hanging around there after. She could have gone outside and stopped the monster from taking her friends, but she didn't. She didn't and now they were gone.

She was waiting outside for Hotch and Rossi when they left their rooms. It wasn't even dawn yet, but they were ready to get to work. Prentiss was thinking all night about the kind of person who could murder a little boy and then abduct two federal agents. He was smart enough to have this entire scenario planned out so it wasn't some teenager. It probably wasn't even a man in his 20s. He had to be older than that, and he had to be well fit. It wasn't easy to carry two full grown people back and forth from a car. He probably had a job because the abduction happened at night, but that might just be because that's when they finally caught Adam. Who the hell was this guy and what was he doing to Reid and J.J.?

"Sheriff said that a neighbor found Timmy's bike outside of a chapel," Hotch said. "The chapel is only a few minutes away from where he lived."

"Let's go check it out," Rossi said. All of three of them piled into the same SUV with Hotch driving. They passed by the Blackwell house on the way over. Familiar yellow tape cut off access to the house from the public. Police cars were everywhere, and Prentiss spotted the sheriff walking back into the house. She wondered where the Blackwell family was taken to. She hoped the rest of the children were doing alright. They lost two of their brothers in the span of just a few minutes. She couldn't imagine going through something like that.

The chapel's parking lot was deserted except for the bike. It was in poor condition with the parking lines nearly invisible. Leaves and sticks were all over the cement, and dead trees were the only decoration in sight. Reid would have loved this place. Prentiss didn't know if she believed in ghosts or not, but this would certainly be a place to haunt if they existed. Timmy's bike was right out front. The bike stuck out like a sore thumb in this surrounding. The bike looked shiny and clean. The chapel looked like a relic behind it.

"Wonder what Timmy was doing here," Rossi said getting out of the vehicle.

"Place is giving me the creeps," Prentiss said. The little chapel had clearly been abandoned many years ago. Prentiss counted three broken windows, and there was crudely drawn graffiti decorating the chipping paint of the chapel's walls. Prentiss couldn't tell for sure, but she thought there was even a hole in the roof. Nature was reclaiming this old building. It wouldn't be much longer before a storm came along and destroyed what was left of this once holy place.

"Maybe he came here to look for Adam," Rossi said. "There was religious artwork and figurines all over the house so this might have been a favorite place for Adam. He could be alone, but he wasn't far away from the beliefs he was raised with."

"And Timmy wanted to help his brother," Prentiss concluded.

Hotch led the way into the church, and Prentiss was afraid the steps leading to the front door were going to buckle under their weight. By some miracle, the stairs held. Hotch pushed open the only way into the church, and the doors creaked loudly announcing their arrival. Hotch had his gun out, but Prentiss knew there wasn't anyone inside. The unsub was somewhere with J.J. and Reid, not here in the chapel. The chapel wasn't a secure enough location to keep two federal agents, and the unsub didn't seem stupid enough to leave the little boy's bike outside.

Just like Prentiss thought, the chapel was empty. It took almost a full minute for her eyes to adjust to the harsh lighting. The windows didn't offer any light from the rising sun, and most of the items inside the church hadn't been touched in years. Thick layers of dust were everywhere, and she leaned into her jacket to cough. It was terrible. Rossi was coughing behind her, but Hotch kept moving forward. All of the pews were empty except for a few books left behind from the chapel's good old days. Statues of saints silently watched the agents walk down the aisle. The statues were in various stages of decay. Prentiss tried not to look at them. It felt like their eyes were following her. Why was this place ever abandoned in the first place? Prentiss was sure that Reid would know, but he wasn't here. Her heart sank just thinking about it.

Hotch stopped walking when he was just in front of the altar. Prentiss came up beside him to see what he was staring at. There was a little collection of random trinkets littered across the floor. It looked like about a handful of pennies, bottle caps, and pretty colored rocks. None of these items were covered in dust. There was all the confirmation she needed. Timmy rode down to the chapel looking for his brother, and this is where he was kidnapped.

"The unsub knew he needed leverage to get Reid and J.J.'s attention," Hotch said.

"And he somehow figured out that we were looking for Adam so this unsub decided to kidnap one of the Blackwell children," Prentiss said.

"He must have followed the little boy here," Rossi said. "The last time his siblings saw him was the morning I was there with J.J. He probably heard what we were saying and he left to get Adam, and the unsub followed him."

Prentiss felt sick to her stomach just thinking about how Timmy was killed, and some of his most prized possessions were just tossed around some old building like they meant nothing. Prentiss was sure that his mother was going to want her little boy's collection of treasure. Rossi walked up onto the altar to further investigate, but Prentiss didn't want to be in there any longer. If she kept thinking about how that innocent child was murdered, she wouldn't be able to do this case. She didn't have that choice though. The team needed her. Reid and J.J. needed her.

"Hey guys?" Rossi asked after Prentiss turned around. She looked over her shoulder and saw him pointing at a gold box underneath the chapel's cross. "There's no dust on the tabernacle. At all." Rossi pulled a pair of gloves out of his pocket, and Hotch walked up to join him. Rossi carefully opened it up to find out if anything was hidden inside. When the little door was fully opened, both Rossi and Hotch stepped back.

"What is it?" Prentiss asked. She took a step towards the altar.

"The tongues," Hotch told her. "This is where Adam was storing the tongues of his victims. Timmy was right. His brother did like this place." Prentiss was glad that the missing tongues were finally found. Prentiss was thinking they would be hidden somewhere in Adam's room, but his case was over. Adam was dead. He couldn't hurt anybody ever again, but there was still an unsub out there and he was dangerous. Finding the missing tongues wasn't going to help this case. It wasn't going to help find J.J. and Reid.

* * *

J.J. woke up to the most excruciating headache of her life. Her mouth was dry, and she was afraid to open her eyes. She couldn't remember what happened to cause this headache, but she was worried she was in a hospital or something with bright lights that would make her head feel worse. She focused on her breathing. Just breathe. It didn't feel like she was in a bed. There wasn't a pillow against her head, and she wasn't wrapped in warm blankets. She was sitting up with her back to a wall. If she was in a hospital suffering from a concussion, they weren't going to have her against some hard wall. As much as she dreaded it, she knew she was going to have to open her eyes. She tried moving her hands to cover her eyes from any bright lights, but her hands wouldn't move. She was in handcuffs. Her heart started pounding.

She opened her eyes. She didn't care if the lights were going to hurt her eyes. She needed to know where she was, but she never needed to worry about the light. It was dark where she was. There wasn't a single light on anywhere. It didn't take that long for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She was in a house. It wasn't a hospital or a hotel room. It was a house. The floor was made up of old wooden boards, and she could just make out a window across from where she was sitting. The window wasn't all that big, but the sky was getting lighter. It was almost dawn.

She pulled against the handcuffs again. They weren't budging. Of course they weren't going to budge. They weren't meant to hold prisoners in place. She didn't see where the door leading out of this room was, but she did see boxes piled on top of each other. She was in an attic. She was in an attic with her hands cuffed behind her back. She resisted from calling out. She didn't know if the person who abducted her was watching her or not, but it was better to keep quiet. She wasn't going to call attention to herself until she figured out what was going on. She kicked her legs out, and that's when she noticed her ankles were tied together too. Whoever put her there really didn't want her to leave. She needed to keep breathing. Having a panic attack wasn't going to help her. She just needed to focus. Boxes. Small window. Wooden floor. She was in an attic of what was probably a very large house. She looked over to her left, and spotted another figure in a similar position to what she was in. She didn't need to ask who it was. She would have recognized Reid anywhere.

Reid's ankles were roped together just like hers were. Their captor took their shoes, but they were both still wearing their socks which were a God send in the cold attic. Reid's arms were behind his back, and his head was tilted to one side. His mouth was slightly open, but he wasn't awake yet. When J.J. saw the bruise on his head, she knew he was going to wake up with a headache just as bad as hers was. J.J. wanted to scoot closer to him. She didn't want him freaking out when he opened his eyes. None of them ever forgot the nightmare named Tobias Hankle, and this new abduction was sure to bring back memories from the old one. He didn't need to be here. J.J. was more than willing to stay with their new captor and whatever he had planned for them if he would just let Reid go. She didn't know if the boy genius could go through this again.

J.J. closed her eyes. She needed to remember what led up to this. Maybe then she could figure out who took them, and why they were taken together. They were going to the Blackwell house. Hotch told J.J. and Reid to go through the back in case Adam tried escaping. J.J. was driving, and they were making good time even though she could see the rest of the team was already there when they were parking. They got out of the car together. They had their vests on. Adam was going to be armed and dangerous so they had their vests on even before they left the hotel. J.J. was holding her gun in front of her. It was cold outside, and the grass was crunching underneath her feet. Reid was right behind her. She could see lights on inside of the Blackwell house. She was going towards the house when she heard something. What did she hear?

Reid's soft moan broke her train of thought. He was waking up. She looked back towards him to see the boy genius close his mouth and lift his head up. What was she going to tell him? She didn't want him to wake up until she had answers, but she didn't know if those answers would ever come. "Reid? Are you okay?" she quietly asked.

Reid nodded his head, but he didn't open his eyes. He ran his tongue across his dry lips, and lightly tugged against his restraints. "Head hurts," Reid whispered.

"I know," J.J. said. She wished she had aspirin or something to soothe the aches, but she didn't have anything. She didn't even have her phone anymore.

Reid pulled against his handcuffs again, and that's when his eyes shot open. His breathing sped up, and his body was starting to shake. She gave him a moment to take in his surroundings, but he wasn't calming down when he saw there wasn't an unsub. He was getting worse.

"Reid, it's okay. I'm right here," she said. She wished she could put her hand on his shoulder, but she couldn't even do that. "No one's here except for me and you."

The young agent closed his eyes and listened to her voice. He was trying to calm himself down, but J.J. didn't know how much she was really helping. She wasn't going to lie to him and say that everything was alright because it wasn't. She was well aware that they were in a dangerous situation, but she wasn't going to tell Reid that. He already knew.

"Where are we?" Reid asked. Reid licked his lips again, but he kept his eyes shut.

"I don't know," J.J. admitted. "I just woke up a few minutes before you did. I think we're in an attic, and we're alone. I don't know how we got here though. I didn't see who brought us here. Is your head okay?"

Reid opened his eyes, and he looked over at J.J. Teachers could tell their students all day long that there was no such thing as a stupid question, but J.J. asking Reid if he was alright was stupid. He wasn't alright and neither was she. They most likely suffered from a concussion brought about by their captor hitting them in the heads. Reid was behind in the yard. It was possible that he saw what happened. She wanted to ask, but he was still shaking. "Reid? What's wrong?" She could understand why he'd be frightened, but he was visibly trembling.

"The guy who took us," Reid began. "He murdered a little boy."

How would Reid know their unsub was a child killer? "You know who he is?" J.J. was excited. If Reid knew who this creep was, they had one up on him already.

"No, I saw him kill the boy. He did it right in front of me," Reid said. That's why Reid was so upset, but Reid didn't know who the murderer was. They were back on square one. Reid's big eyes were filling with tears. "I tried to help him. I did. I was right there and I got some sock out of his mouth, but I couldn't stop the bleeding."

"How did the unsub kill him?" J.J. asked. She didn't really want to know the answer.

"He was gutted," Reid said simply. "The man who did it knew the death wasn't going to be instantaneous and he did it anyway to a little boy. He wanted the child to suffer."

J.J. didn't want to hear anymore, but why would a child killer want to abduct two full grown adults? Usually, killers stuck with their desired preference. They stuck with what they liked, and if this unsub murdered a child, it seemed strange that he would go in an opposite direction. He might have freaked out when J.J. and Reid walked in the yard. Killing the child might even have been a mistake, and he took J.J. and Reid because they were witnesses.

"I think he was after us," Reid said after a few minutes of silence passed. "He wasn't trying to kidnap the boy. He was hiding with the kid. He was waiting for us."

"But why?" J.J. asked.

She knew Reid couldn't answer that. J.J. didn't really know if she wanted the answer. If they were up against a monster that could gut a small child, what else was he capable of? J.J. couldn't imagine why anyone would want her and Reid. If this man was really after them, he knew they were federal agents. He didn't care about the consequences apparently. His needs were greater than anything the FBI could threaten him with. J.J. bit the inside of her cheek. She was nervous.

* * *

Abby didn't have a class that night, and she made it perfectly clear to Nick that she wanted to go out. They hadn't gone out on an actual date in forever. She knew that sometimes it was harder for married couples to find the time, but neither one of them were working. She was waiting for him to come home when he finished at the college, but she never saw him. She didn't see him ever drive up. It was possible for him to get to his study without using the front door, but why would he do that? She made fish for dinner because that was one of his favorite meals. She poured large cups of expensive red wine, and she waited patiently for her hungry husband to arrive home. He never came. Minutes turned into hours, and he never showed up. She took a shower, thinking that he might be late because of meetings, but he still wasn't there when she got out. She took her cup of wine to bed so she could watch television while she waited. She finished two cups of wine before sleep finally took her. Nick never came.

She didn't fall into a deep sleep. It seemed like every tiny noise from the night woke her, but it was almost daylight when she heard Nick's car pull up. She waited for him to find the dinner and join her in the bed, but that didn't happen. It was at least another hour until Nick came into their bedroom, but even then, he didn't pretend to sleep next to her. She felt like crying. She spent all of that work trying to make the perfect dinner, and Nick wouldn't even get into bed with her. She was done of pretending to sleep. She sat up in the bed. Nick didn't even turn around. He was too busy changing out of his old shirt.

"Where were you?" Abby asked. She didn't mean to sound cross with him. She was sure that he had a perfectly good excuse, but she was sick and tired of this. Nick was never an easy person to understand. Her friends all thought she was crazy for marrying him, but she reasoned that they were perfect for each other. Nick would come around to her with time. Abby never thought that opposites attract. If she didn't have anything in common with the man she chose to marry, the marriage wouldn't last long at all. They had to have similar interests, and Abby couldn't believe she was falling in love with another teacher. It was like her guardian angel picked Nick out just for her, but the trusting innocence when she married this man was gone. She wasn't going to give up on their marriage. She wasn't that kind of person, but she didn't think that she was ever going to have children. She didn't think Nick was ever going to be friendly towards her family. She was never going to know who Nick really was, and that wasn't from her lack of trying. He was just never going to let her in.

"Out," Nick said. He threw his old shirt on the floor as he pulled a fresh one over his head. His hair was messy, and he had sweat lines going down his cheeks.

"Out doing what? Why are you sweating?" Abby got out of bed, and pulled a robe on over her nightgown. She forgot to turn the heater on last night so it was cold in the house.

"I thought I hit a dog or something on the way home so I was trying to find it," Nick said without thinking twice. "I found a blood trail, but I never found the animal so I don't know. Maybe another animal got to it or something."

Abby came up behind Nick and put her arms around his shoulders. She craved his touch. Nick was a strong man, and she felt safe in his embrace. She loved just being near him. She couldn't believe that it was a stray dog that kept her husband away for so long, but he was back now. He was with her. She kissed him on the cheek, and pressed her body against his. They didn't share a dinner together, but that didn't mean she wouldn't let come back to bed with her.

"I have to get ready for work," Nick said pushing her away.

"Please, just talk to me." Abby was close to tears. What was she doing wrong? She gave him everything she had to give. Why didn't he like to touch her? Why wouldn't he talk to her? She wrapped her arms around her chest and sat on the edge of the bed.

"When I get home," Nick said. "I'll have a surprise for you." Nick put a belt on, and kissed her on the head before he left their room. "I'll see you after work."

Nick came back home to change. That was it. He never mentioned seeing the dinner she left out for him, and he didn't compliment the new nightgown she was wearing. She didn't think he noticed her at all. She got up to watch from her window as he got into his car and sped off. She went over to where she left her empty wine glass, and she threw it across the room. It shattered when it hit a wall, and she flung herself on the bed crying. This wasn't what she expected life would be like when she got married. She thought she was going to marry a handsome prince and live happily ever after. That's all she ever dreamed about. This couldn't be her happily ever after. Why did he marry her if he didn't love her?

Abby cried herself to sleep. She fell into a deeper sleep this time around. She dreamed of Nick getting home from work and taking her away on some exotic vacation. He would carry her around in his arms, and her friends would see how wrong they were when they told her not to marry him. Abby loved him.

* * *

Nick didn't want to go to school. He wasn't the least bit interested. He didn't really have the time last night to prepare a lesson plan so he was just going to have to wing it. Most of the students didn't care anyway. They took philosophy because they thought it was going to be an easy A. They were wrong on that part. He never had easy tests. If the students wanted to take his class, they were going to pay attention. If they didn't study or listen to what he said during his lectures, they were going to fail. He failed plenty of students, but the ones that did pass his class sent him letters later on saying how they tested out of other philosophy courses because of what he taught him. None of his former pupils were famous yet, but only time would tell. Philosophers could change the world. They thought more than the average human being. Most people were so focused on what their favorite celebrity was driving or if the movie star had a boy or girl baby. None of that mattered. They were missing out on the bigger picture because people aren't smart enough to look just past their noses.

Nick parked just outside of his building. It was still early so the parking lot was almost empty. That's why he liked mornings. He liked to be by himself, and getting work done early left him the rest of the day. He really hoped that the agents weren't awake yet. If his wife didn't pester him, he probably could have checked on them again before he left. After he cleaned out his car, he noticed a blood stain on his shirt. That was the only damn reason he had to go where she was sleeping. He couldn't go to school with blood on his shirt. Every student would notice. It wasn't a lot of blood, but it needed to go. He kicked the bloody shirt underneath the dresser when he left. He hoped Abby wouldn't find it and ask more questions, but she seemed alright with the crap story he made up about the dog.

He got to his classroom before any of his students were hanging around waiting. If he got there too close to starting time, he usually had at least 5 students standing in the hallway. He was early enough to come up with some kind of lesson plan, but he didn't unlock the door until class was just about to start. He couldn't concentrate that well with a bunch of young adults sitting around joking. When he let them in, they streamed in two at a time. He sat back on his desk to watch them come in. It was a shame he didn't know any of them yet. It was still only a few days into the semester, but he was usually a genius when it came to names. He was one of those people that never forgot a face, but he was so distracted this semester. All Nick wanted to do was go back home. Reid was waiting for him.

When the bell rang, he stood up with his list of students and looked around the room. He could already that no one was absent, but he needed to learn their names. Just because he finally had the agent in his possession didn't mean he could lack at school.

"Thanks for being on time," Nick began. "Just doing roll really fast before we begin. Is Brandon Dolan here?" A boy in the back raised his hand. Chubby boy. Bad skin. Messy hair. "Thanks Brandon. Okay, how about David Fosse?" The boy next to Brandon raised his hand. Black hair. Black glasses. Might be goth. "Dawn Gentile?" Front row. Blonde hair. Looked like she was falling asleep, but she raised her hand. This group was turning out to be exciting this semester. "Teresa Harrison?" Nick sat down on the edge of his desk. Teresa looked like she was falling asleep too. He was probably more tired that they were. He really hoped they weren't going to be like for the entire class. He would lose his mind. "Madeline McBay?" Her name was already checked in when the student raised her hand and smiled. "I go by Maddie."

"I'll mark that down," Nick said returning her smile. She had wavy chestnut brown hair that stopped just above her shoulders. She wore a little bow on the side of her head, and it looked like she actually gave a damn about how she looked. She was the only one there who was really wide awake and ready to learn.

"Thanks," Maddie said. "I hope you're not still bleeding."

Nick looked up from his list. He changed his shirt. There wasn't any blood on this brand new shirt that he got from the closet. "I beg your pardon?"

"On your pants," Maddie pointed.

Nick looked down, and saw a splatter of blood on his thigh. How could he miss that? "Thanks for showing me. I cut myself while I was trimming a tree this morning." He wanted to slap himself. He could have come up with a better excuse than that.

"I have a band aid in my bag if you needed one," Maddie said. She reached in her bag to find it, but Nick shook his head.

"I'm good, but thanks for the offer. It's just a little scratch."

He finished roll without any more problems, but the blood on his pants was going to annoy him the rest of the day. He put his clipboard down, and stood up to stretch his legs. He was going to fall asleep if he kept sitting down. "Can anyone here tell me who came up with the term for philosophy? It's been around for hundreds of years, but who came up with the word?"

A girl in the front row raised her hand. Black hair worn in braids. "Was it Pythagoras?" Danielle asked. It looked like someone did her reading.

"Yes," Nick said. "It's assumed by most historians that he was the one who came up with the term, but what does it mean exactly? When you think of that word, what's the first thing that pops into your mind?"

Maddie raised her hand. "Questions."

"Exactly," Nick said. "Questions, and these questions can't be answered as easily as some math problem or a clever riddle. Most of these questions we may never have an answer to. How many people here believe in God?"

Most of the class raised their hands. "And how many people here believe that God is an all loving being that only wants the best for the people on this planet?"

Once again, most of the class raised their hands. "I'm not a religion teacher, and I don't consider myself a religious person, but I was raised in the Christian religion. I was also taught that God loves all of His children, and that He is nothing but pure and good, but then there comes the story about the fallen angel. The hero that chose to go against God. God banished the devil to hell, and that is where we will end up if we don't follow the rules that He set up. That's the basic gist of the story that we are told. Be good or else. But if God is nothing but love, how was evil created? A being that knows nothing except kindness would not be able to create evil. He wouldn't be able to make anything evil since He is pure. Does that mean that God is not all powerful since He wasn't able to stop the devil?"

The class was silent. Nick couldn't tell if it was because they were really listening to him or if they were still falling asleep. "But what if God isn't real? We think we know what is real. An object is real if we can see it, hear it, feel it," Nick said picking up a random book. "But does that mean it's real? Some argue that the most real being, the absolute, is God. The absolute surpasses all other beings, and if there is some powerful almighty sitting on a white fluffy cloud, there's no question that He would be considered the most real. But what if we are wrong? If God isn't absolute, what is? If you turn to page 294, we will read about Tao te Ching. Do I have a volunteer reader?"

Maddie raised her hand. He nodded at her, and let her read aloud. She didn't have trouble pronouncing a single word. It actually looked like she was enjoying what she was reading. Nick was sure he found his star pupil with her. He would just have to remember to change after spending time with his new friends in the attic. If he was teaching some class in a grade school, he wouldn't worry about a few blood spots. Hell, most kids in college wouldn't care if their teacher was bleeding, but this class was different. These students were taught to be observant and ask questions. He was proud to boast that his students were some of the smartest in the entire college. They could probably even follow in the careers of J.J. and Reid if they wanted to try criminal profiling. When Maddie finished the page, she looked back over at the dried blood on his pants. He didn't know what she was thinking, but he didn't like it. All he wanted to do was go back home and check on the agents.

"Is something wrong Maddie?" Nick asked when she didn't continue reading.

"No sir," Maddie said looking back down at the page. "It's just, the blood you got from your cut earlier is on your shoes too. It looks like you bled a lot. I hope it doesn't get an infection."

Nick looked down at his shoes, and of course, Maddie was right. "Just keep reading until the end of this section. For today's homework, I'm going to want a one page essay telling me what you feel about Tao te Ching's theory about divinity and the absolute. After this section is finished, class is dismissed." Maddie continued reading while Nick went to sit behind his desk. He was done having her stare at him.

* * *

Rossi went with Hotch and Prentiss when the sheriff called them into his office. The autopsy report came back from Timothy Blackwell. He died from the severing of his carotid artery, but he was just minutes away from bleeding out from the injury to his stomach. His wrists and ankles were bound together with his own shoelaces, and he had a bruise on his forehead which probably occurred during the abduction. There weren't any signs of sexual abuse, and the murderer only had the child for a few hours. What was done during those hours was anybody's guess, but Rossi was glad that the little boy wasn't raped. Mrs. Blackwell was in hysterics, and while her surviving children were moved to a safe house, she spent the night in a hospital. Nobody told her yet how her youngest son died because it was obvious she wouldn't be able to handle that information. She was screaming most of the night. Rossi hoped this wouldn't be the end of this woman. Her children needed her.

"Do we need to warn the public agents?" Sheriff Colton asked. Colton was a tall man. He wasn't an old as a lot of the sheriffs that Rossi met in his day, but Colton's younger age didn't mean he was a push over. He was a well-known supporter of the death penalty, and life inside his jail cells weren't easy for the convicts. They committed a crime so jail wasn't going to be like some 5 star resort for these men and women. Colton was determined to make it so bad that they would never want to commit a crime again. Rossi didn't know if that really worked, but he applauded Colton's efforts.

"Not yet," Hotch said. "We don't know what we are dealing with yet."

"Or if the public is in danger," Rossi added.

"We'd like to talk to the neighbors of the Blackwell family," Prentiss said. "We didn't see anyone fleeing the scene and neither did your officers, but people living near the scene might have seen something that we didn't."

Any witness right now would be a good witness because they didn't have anything. The only thing they found out at the chapel was Timmy was abducted there. The tongues of Adam's victims were a nice find, but that didn't contribute to the new unsub. The cell phones belonging to Reid and J.J. were dusted for fingerprints along with their shoes and Reid's belt, but no evidence was left behind. The unsub had apparently been planning for this for a long time to be this detailed.

"We do have a witness," Colton said. "That's why I called you here. The witness came in about half an hour ago. She's really nervous though. I think she's afraid the guy you're looking for is going to come back for her or something."

"I'll go talk to her," Rossi volunteered.

"Prentiss, go with him," Hotch said. If the witness had something against men, she would be more willing to talk to Prentiss. Rossi didn't mind who came with him just as long as the witness told them what she say.

Colton had the witness in a small room by herself. She sat in an armchair with a cup of coffee on the table in front of her. She looked to be in her 40s, and she was dressed in jeans and a sweater. She had her long hair pulled back in a ponytail, but Colton was right. She looked nervous. Rossi knocked on the door, and after she waved at them, Rossi led the way inside.

"Hello, my name is Agent David Rossi and this is Agent Emily Prentiss," Rossi said sitting down on the couch across from her. "What's your name?"

"You guys feds?" the witness asked.

"We are with the FBI," Prentiss confirmed. "Anything you say in here will be confidential. We just want to know what you saw or heard last night."

"I'm Liz Fischer," the woman said. "I live right across the street from the religious family. I lived there for 10 years, and none of them ever said a word to me. Can you believe it? Sometimes, I'd see the younger kids playing in the front yard or something but that was it. I don't know what was with them, but I didn't want to make any enemies or anything so I tried to stay out of their way. They were usually super quiet so last night when you guys were out there, that was out of the ordinary so I was watching."

"When did you start watching?" Rossi asked.

"When the guy pulled up with the kid," Liz said. "It looked like one of the religious kids so I thought he was an uncle or something and he was bringing the kid came since he parked near their house. I saw him go in the backyard with the kid so yeah. His uncle was just dropping him off and maybe he saw the SUV in front of the house so he brought him through the back to make sure it was safe or something."

Rossi glanced at Prentiss. He couldn't believe it. This woman saw their unsub.

"He didn't come out right away so I went to get a soda," Liz said. "When I looked back out, he was loading something in the back of his car. Something heavy. Like he just threw it in the back seat. I couldn't see what it was. And then he went back to the yard for a few minutes. When he came back to the car, he threw something in the road and sped off. Like, sped. Really fast. Like he didn't want to be there when you guys came out."

"Did you see what he looked like?" Prentiss asked.

"Man. Tall. Wearing dark clothes. Gloves on his hands. I couldn't see his face."

"Did you notice what kind of car he was driving?" Rossi asked.

"Four door regular looking car," Liz said. "I'm really bad with car makes and models and crap so I couldn't tell you what kind. It was a black one. It looked really nice. Too nice for a neighborhood like this."

"Do you think if we got a sketch artist in here, you'd be able to help get a drawing made of this guy?" Rossi asked. The sooner they had a drawing, the sooner they could get it out to the public.

"He killed that little boy, didn't he?" Liz asked quietly.

"Yes," Rossi said. There was no point in denying it. She was going to find out one way or the other.

"What was he putting in the back of his car then?" Liz asked. "Was he robbing them or something? I don't think that family was rich or anything."

Nobody said anything. Liz covered up her mouth with her hands. "Oh my God. He kidnapped someone else then? Is that what happened? Did he take another of those kids? Oh my God."

"He didn't kidnap any of the other children," Rossi said patiently. "But he did abduct two other people, and their lives are in danger. They need our help."

"He took one of you guys, didn't he?" Liz asked. "I'll talk to your sketch artist guy or whatever he's called. I don't know who the kidnapper is, but he's not from around here. I would have recognized him if he lived nearby."

"Thank you for your help Liz," Rossi said offering her his hand. She shook it, and went back to drinking her coffee when the hand shake broke.

Rossi and Prentiss left Liz alone with the sketch artist when the artist arrived. Rossi couldn't wait to see what the sketch looked like. They were going to find this guy. J.J. and Reid just had to hold out a little bit longer. Help was coming for them.

* * *

Reid couldn't remember of any details of what led up to him being handcuffed to a pipe on the wall, but he could remember that little boy dying. That was perfectly clear in his mind. He was holding the child, and the boy was telling him to find someone. His mother maybe. Reid couldn't remember exactly, but he remembered the boy looking up at him with his brown eyes. There was somebody walking around behind them, but Reid wasn't concerned about that person. The little boy commanded his full attention. Reid remembered holding the child, and that the boy's stomach was bleeding badly. It wasn't just blood though. Reid looked over at J.J. He couldn't think about the child anymore.

Reid calmed down a lot after initially waking up there. He didn't know why, but the first idea that popped into his mind was that Hankle somehow got him again. It didn't make sense, but nothing was making sense in this attic. J.J. was right. Why would a child killer want them?

"This house is huge," Reid said. The attic stretched out in front of him.

"Do you this could be the Blackwell house?" J.J. asked.

Reid's head still hurt, but he tried thinking back to the person who was there when the boy was dying. It was a man. That's all Reid could remember. "There was another older brother," Reid said.

"And there was a father too," J.J. said. "I don't think he got along with his wife. He might have killed the boy to get revenge on his wife, and he's holding us hostage until they let Adam out of jail. This looks about the same size house the Blackwells have."

Reid shook his head. "This isn't that house. Hotch would have found us by now, but this might be the house of the other brother. Or the dad had a second house." Reid prayed the team was already getting the addresses of the Blackwell men. Reid wasn't a hundred percent positive that's where they were, but it seemed like a pretty good place to start.

"They are going to find us Spence," J.J. said.

"Do you think Adam is still alive?" Reid asked. From what Reid learned about Adam, it didn't seem like he would go down without a fight.

"I don't know," J.J. said. "I really don't remember much from last night. I know I was going to the back door when I heard something."

Reid nodded, but he didn't will himself to think back. He didn't want to remember the little boy's dying words. He wouldn't have to though. Their conversation was interrupted by what sounded like a door opening underneath them. They couldn't move that much, but J.J. scooted closer to Reid. Whoever was coming for them they were going to face together. Reid counted twelve creaky stairs as the unsub made his way up to the attic. He heard another door open, and Reid held his breath. He knew it wasn't Hankle. It wasn't going to be anyone like Hankle. Reid could have tried preparing himself all morning long, but that didn't mean he was ready to face the unsub when the man stood in front of him.

"Good afternoon agents," he said with a wide smile. "It's good to finally meet you."

 _yay for chapter 5. meeting some important characters that will play a bigger role later on in the story. but nick is finally alone with jj and reid and that's what everything has been leading up to so the next chapter should be pretty fun. plz review guys. I read every single review I get. till next time xoxoxooxo_


	6. Chapter 6

_super long delay. right guys? If writing was my full time job, id have a new chapter once a week at least. its a passion of mine that always seems to get my least attention when daily life continues 2 get n the way. I don't think theres any warnings for this chapter. still kinda going over major characters personalities and stuff, but the darker chapters I'm known 4 r right around the corner so enjoy_

"Did you ever say yes to a pleasure?Oh my friends, then you also said yes to all things are linked, entwined, in love with one another."

"What does not kill me, makes me stronger."

Nick's heart was pounding as he walked up those stairs. It seemed like every moment of his life led up to this. All of those years of just waiting finally paid off. He had committed the perfect crime, and better yet, Agent Reid was his. He would still have to make out some kind of schedule though. He still needed to go to work and make some appearances with his wife so nothing would be suspected, but he wanted to spend as much time as he possibly could with Reid. On his first visit with his prize, he wasn't bringing any food or water with him. He was sure that both Reid and J.J. were probably thirsty, but they would wait. He wasn't stupid enough to deny them water for long unless he wanted to lose them, but they needed to learn the rules of the house. He was sure they were going to be stubborn at first. They were going to break every single one of his rules, and spend any free time they had looking for a way out. Anybody would do that, and he expected that. He just hoped their immature rebellion wouldn't last too long. Once they respected him, Nick wasn't against bringing them delicious food for good behavior.

He didn't hear any voices when he entered the bedroom underneath the attic. He was going to have to get that creaky door fixed. He wanted the element of surprise for his first visit, but it didn't look like he was going to get that because of the damned door. He could always turn around and come back later when the agents weren't expecting him, but he waited long enough. The time was now. He kept his hands on the secret behind his back as he walked up the last set of stairs. He unlocked the attic door with ease, but he used his feet to shut it once he was in the attic. He needed to keep both of his hands hidden until introductions were over. The agents weren't going to be able to win anyway. He made sure of that when he chained them up to those pipes on the wall, but he wasn't taking any chances. He had to be expect the unexpected. He didn't know what to expect with his prisoners just like they didn't know what to expect with him, but he needed to keep the upper hand.

Nick expertly guided himself through the rows of boxes until he was in front of the two young agents. J.J. was a lot prettier up close than he remembered her to be. J.J.'s blonde hair was pulled back in a messy pony tail, and she had a small cut on her right cheek. He couldn't see any evidence of the concussion that he was sure he gave her from the night before. She was alert, and her blue eyes followed all of Nick's movements. She was wearing a long sleeved blue shirt, black pants, and dark colored socks were covering up her feet. The young woman had been through a lot already, but she didn't look scared. Nick always gave credit where it was due, and he applauded J.J. for not being afraid. She was going to be though. By the end of the day, she would be begging him for mercy. First thing to go was going to be the socks. They weren't allowed to have luxuries like that yet. He wasn't afraid to look her in the eyes. So many monsters out there refused to look their victims in the eyes, but he wasn't like them. He wanted her to memorize his face. It would be the last thing she saw before she died.

Reid was looking Nick right in the eyes as well. Nick didn't mind. Reid had such beautiful big eyes. Reid's light brown hair was nowhere as long as it used to be when he was younger, but it did look like he was growing it back. Maybe he missed it as much as Nick did. The messy curls fell around his face, but he had a large bruise in the center of his forehead. Nick didn't like that one bit. His flawless skin was going to have that nuisance bruise for a while. Nick did notice the blood stains on Reid's hands and the cuffs of his black shirt, and was worried that Reid was more injured than he originally thought but then he remembered the kid. Reid was holding the little guy when he died. The blood came from that boy, not from Reid. Nick smiled. That was a lot of blood coming from such a small child. He would let the agent wash his hands. Eventually. There was no rush, and making Reid sit there with bloody hands wasn't going to be the worst thing in the world. Hell, it wasn't going to be even be the worst thing to happen to Reid that day.

"Good afternoon agents," he said smiling at Reid. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"What do you want?" J.J. asked. Nick's attention was drawn back to the blonde woman. In physical aspects, J.J. wasn't all that different from his wife. Abby was a little bit taller, but both of them had delicate features and thin frames. They also both had big mouths.

"Hmm," he said. "That's interesting." He took a step towards them.

"What?" J.J. asked.

"I'm not sure how to put this," he said. "I don't know, but I wasn't expecting the first words coming out of the mouth of a trained FBI agent working for the BAU would be asking what you must assume is a hardened criminal what he wants. I can see those words coming out of the mouth of a child or maybe even a clueless teenager, but not you. I mean, I am sure you have worked with hundreds of…What's that term you use again? Unsub? I'm sure you've interviewed hundreds and hundreds of unsubs in your time with the BAU. I couldn't even begin to wrap my mind around it. You've dealt with kidnappers, bombers, rapists, and murderers. Probably even the freaks that like kids, but have you ever asked one of them, what do you want? I mean, I guess you must have since you asked me, but really? What do they say to you? Do they go into some deep sob story about how they were beaten as children or about how their parents abandoned them to join the circus so they had to live their lives on the streets or with their drug addicted grandmother? Guess it makes you think, doesn't it? Well, since you asked, I will tell. What do I want? I'm thinking I want a turkey sandwich for lunch with bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes. Doesn't that sound tasty right about now?"

J.J. kept her mouth closed. Finally. He only just met her and she was already getting on his nerves. Abby would probably love her.

"What's behind your back?" Reid asked quietly. Nick smiled again. He knew he liked Spencer Reid. The agent was sitting so quietly while Nick was giving the lecture, but his genius brain was thinking and analyzing the entire time. Nick took another step closer to his prisoners.

"That, my new friend, is a great question," Nick said. "You will notice that, since I've started talking to you, I have been holding something behind my back. I'd like to say that it is a gift, but it's not a gift that you are going to want. It's quite heavy, and so I am glad to finally be able to set this down." He stepped towards Reid. He had to act fast. Once he started with the movements, he was going to have to go through with it or forget the entire thing. He pulled the red stone brick from behind his back, and dropped it on top of Reid's feet. He was aiming for the ankles, but it was more difficult than he anticipated with Reid's feet pulled closer to his body. As long as the brick hit something connected with Reid's feet or ankles, he was happy. The brick landed with a loud thud on the wooden floor. There wasn't some dramatic cracking sound as the bones snapped like in the movies, but Reid screamed. Reid screamed loud. Reid managed to get the brick off of his feet, but he wasn't wearing any shoes. The mismatched socks would do little to protect the tiny bones helping the agent walk.

"I know that Agent Reid will correct me if I am wrong, but if I remember correctly, there are 26 bones in the human foot. If we double that amount to include both feet, that number comes to 52. Does that sound right? It sounds right to me, and so now if we can imagine a brick slamming into those little bones…I'm pretty sure that half of those bones are broken. Can we agree on that?"

Reid was frantically trying to get to his feet, but his hands were chained to the pipes. He could pull and tug all he wanted. He wasn't going to get free. J.J. was pulling at her own restraints, trying to think of a way to help her injured friend.

"I am willing to take off your wonderfully colored socks," Nick said looking at Reid's feet. One sock was blue was spot. The other one was purple with stripes. "But once the socks are off, you won't be getting them back. You will be over to look over your feet to see where the broken bones are located, but you won't be able to bandage up your feet or even touch them. Until we can establish some rules here, you won't be moving much at all."

"After that fancy speech you just gave us, you know that we are both federal agents. No judge is going to give you any mercy after what you just did to him," J.J. threatened.

Nick laughed. "Honey, we've just started our fun."

* * *

Hotch had a headache. It wasn't a terrible headache, but it was enough to distract him from what was going on around him. The sketch of the unsub that was made didn't have any distinctive markings. Hotch didn't know why he was expecting more. It was late at night when the witness saw him, but the sketch wasn't giving Hotch a lot to work with. It looked like a taller man wearing dark clothes. That was it. He didn't have any tattoos on his arm or a long beard growing from his chin. He just looked like an average every day type of guy, one that could easily blend in to a crowd.

"This is him?" Garcia asked as she walked into the conference room. Hotch sent Rossi and Prentiss out earlier back to the Blackwell house and the surrounding area. There had to be something they missed. Two federal agents couldn't just disappear like they did. Reid and J.J. had been missing for about half a day so far. They were smart, and they were trained to deal with any kind of situation thrown at them, but what did the unsub want? Hotch was glued to the phone all morning long waiting to receive the ransom call. If the unsub was clever enough to kidnap two armed agents in the dead of night, he knew that they were worth money. He could make a pretty penny if the agents were safely returned, but the phone never rang. There wasn't an email to the sheriff demanding a large sum of money, and there weren't any taunting letters to the police in the mail. It was just silence.

"Yes," Hotch told her. Hotch looked at the drawing again. The man was dressed warmly, but it looked like he was Caucasian. Short hair. Hotch couldn't tell if there was a wedding ring on the man's finger or not because he was wearing gloves. The only thing that really stood out to Hotch was how tall he looked.

"I'll send copies of this to Prentiss and Rossi," Garcia said. She pulled out of her phone and snapped several photos of the drawing. "Maybe they can ask neighbors or something if this guy looks familiar. Do you think he was stalking you guys?"

Hotch didn't know, but that was the only thing that made sense. While the team was busy looking for the Tongue Ripper, another unsub was watching them and they didn't even know it. If they had some little inkling that they were being followed, Hotch would have been able to better protect his team, but he didn't. He had no damn idea, and he took full responsibility for what was happening to J.J. and Reid.

"I'm sure he was following us for some time," Hotch told her. "That's why he was ready to make his move last night. He knew Reid and J.J. were going to be alone." The unsub knew that Hotch wasn't going to be there to protect the youngest members of his team.

"He doesn't want money, does he?" Garcia quietly asked. "We haven't heard one peep from the unsub or from Reid and J.J."

"If he wanted money, he would have contacted us by now," Hotch said standing up. He taped the sketch to their billboard concerning this case. It was mostly empty. It just showed a map of where they were abducted, what was left behind, and now the drawing of the man that took them. That was it. They didn't have a single name to work off of.

"If he doesn't want money, what does he want?" Garcia asked. "Don't tell me. I don't think I want to know. You're probably going to say that he just wanted them, and if that's what it is going on, I'm happier not knowing because he's not doing nice things to them. And they are probably scared to death. And I'm scared to death. And I keep looking at my phone for the last text messages they wrote me, and sometimes I can pretend that they are still here. Somewhere. They are far away from the creepy guy that took them. But they aren't here. They aren't safe, and I am so scared right now. What is he doing to them?"

Hotch knew better than to answer her question. "Can you make some physical copies of the sketch so we can give it to the police officers? I think we are going to need to get this man's face on the news sometime today in case none of the neighbors recognize him. Somebody knows who he is. All we need is for one person to know who he is."

"So a press conference?" Garica asked. Hotch knew that she wasn't a fan of doing those. He was sure Prentiss wouldn't mind giving one, but he needed her to stay in that neighborhood. The unsub had to have left some kind of clue behind. They just needed to find it.

"Yeah," Hotch said. "The sooner the better. Somebody out there knows the unsub. So just get copies of the sketch made. Let me know when you are done."

"Yes sir," Garcia said. She got up with her phone and hurried out of the room. Hotch knew that she liked to feel busy. It kept her mind off of the dire situation, and she needed that. Hotch couldn't imagine how she would feel if something happened to Reid or J.J. Garcia wouldn't be able to deal with that, and Hotch didn't think he would be able to either.

Hotch pulled out his phone, and pulled up the last messages he received from J.J. and Reid. J.J.'s was further back. The last time he heard from J.J. was from the night before when she told him they were only a few minutes away from the Blackwell house. Hotch never replied to that message. The last one he got from Reid was the kid asking him if they were still planning to do a press conference on Adam. They never did do one for that unsub. They didn't need to, but Hotch was going to have to for this case. He was done wasting time. He needed to get his friends back.

* * *

Prentiss didn't feel like they were any closer to finding J.J. and Reid than they were before. None of the other neighbors saw or heard one thing that night. It was like they were all on vacation. She couldn't explain it. She knew about the phenomena where a group of people witness something horrific and nobody calls in to report it. Prentiss remembered reading several cases about that. The one that stood out to her was about a young woman who was brutally murdered in her apartment complex. The neighbors that bore witness to the sadistic attack all assumed somebody else would call the police or that it was just a domestic dispute between a husband and wife. All of them were wrong, and the actions they chose that night cost the young woman her life. This was different though. The FBI was going door to door, and still not one of them admitted to seeing anything. It was frustrating.

They went back to the car to rest for a few minutes before starting on the houses across the street. That's where the original witness lived. If she saw something, it was possible the people next door to her did as well. Prentiss pulled up the picture Garcia sent of their unsub on her phone. She wished she had physical copies to hand out to the neighbors.

"The press conference is this afternoon?" Rossi asked. He took a sip of his water bottle and looked around the neighborhood. It was quiet outside. It was a weekday so most adults would be off at work while the children were kept busy at school. It wasn't the best area of town, but people still had to work to make a living. It was a chilly day so Prentiss hoped her friends were being kept indoors at least. She had a strong feeling they were still alive. If their unsub wanted Reid and J.J. dead, he would have killed them on the spot.

"Yes," Prentiss said.

"That's good. It might get some of these people remembering," Rossi said.

"Remembering what?" a boy asked. Prentiss' heart leaped in her chest, and from the look on Rossi's face, his did as well. She swung her legs out of the already opened car door, and saw a boy standing on the sidewalk with his red bike. "You guys shouldn't be parked here. It's a crime scene, and the police don't want a bunch of people poking around. No offense."

Prentiss smiled. It was nice the kid was trying to look out for his neighbors. Rossi got out of his side of the car and walked around until he was next to the boy. "You're one of the Blackwell kids, aren't you?" Rossi asked.

Prentiss had to look again. She didn't get a chance to really study the children that night. It was all too chaotic. All she wanted to do was get them out of there after Timmy's murder. She looked back at the boy with the red bike. His hair was much lighter than his brothers, and he had the same freckles as his mother. The only resemblance Prentiss could see between this boy and the others was his eyes. All three of the boys had the same shade of brown eyes.

"I'm John Blackwell sir," the kid said. "My siblings all call me Johnny. You're one of the agents, right? I remember you."

"How old are you Johnny?" Prentiss asked. He didn't look that old. The clothes he was wearing looked a little too big for him. The blue jacket covered up his hands completely, and his jeans probably would be falling off him if it wasn't for the belt. Prentiss looked back at the desolate house where these children were being raised. Why wasn't CPS called to come check up on the Blackwell children? There was a lot more going on in that house than just Adam.

"12," Johnny said. "No lessons today. Mom is looking at caskets for Adam and Timmy. She took Esther with her, but she said I was too little to go. Which I'm not. I'm almost a teenager."

"How much do you know about what happened?" Prentiss asked. She was sure the kid knew a lot more than he would ever tell his mother, and she didn't like that. Johnny was coming from one of the most sheltered lives that she ever heard of, and then suddenly, two of his brothers are dead. One was working his way up to becoming an infamous serial killer, and the other was brutally murdered by an unknown psychopath. That was a lot to throw at a 12 year old boy who is used to reading passages from the bible every evening.

"A lot more than my mom would ever tell me," Johnny admitted. "I didn't tell my sisters anything. I mean, mom has been a wreck since last night and Esther has been spending a lot of time with her. And Rachel has been crying."

"How did you find out a lot then?" Rossi asked.

"We are staying with my aunt since we can't go home for a while. And Aunt Claire has a laptop. So when they all went to bed last night, I was looking up everything. Google knows like almost everything, doesn't it?"

It was hard to picture a kid's first time enjoying the wonders of the internet, and the very first thing he searches for is his serial killer brother. She hoped that he didn't find any photos of the victims.

"I'm really sorry," Prentiss said softly.

"For what? You didn't kill my brother," Johnny said. "But you guys are going to find the monster that did, right?"

"We are working on that," Rossi said with a smile.

"I'm really sorry for what Adam did by the way. I didn't know. I mean, he was always kinda weird. He kept to himself a lot. But I didn't know he was hurting people. I'm just really sorry. I wish I could take back what he did."

The boy was starting to tear up. Prentiss didn't know if it was just thinking about the murders his brother committed or if it was combination of everything the kid was going through. The life that he once knew was never going to be the same again. He probably didn't even realize it yet.

"It's okay," Rossi said. He stepped closer and wrapped his arm around the kid in a hug. Johnny immediately brushed away his tears.

"It's fine. So are you guys here looking for the person that killed Timmy? Is that what he looks like?" Johnny saw the picture that Prentiss left up on the screen. She didn't have any issues with the boy looking at the sketch. He might even recognize the guy so she held up the phone. Johnny stared at it for a good minute, but he didn't offer any new information. "So that's the guy that killed Timmy. Did he know that Timmy was only 6 six years old?"

"Your brother wasn't the intended target," Prentiss tried to explain. "He would have killed anyone that got in his way."

Johnny nodded, but Prentiss wasn't convinced he understood. "I want to help catch him. Do you guys know where he lives? He's not from around here. I know that much. When me and Rachel were little, we people watched a lot. We'd watch people coming and going and stuff. It made us feel like we were part of the group. Watching the kids going to school with real teachers. And watching people walking around to look at the Christmas lights. We would pretend we were right down there with those people. Timmy liked to watch them too, but I never saw that guy before."

Prentiss glanced at Rossi. This innocent little statement told them that the unsub wasn't from this area. He drove from another neighborhood, possibly another city, with the sole intention of kidnapping Reid and J.J. Prentiss didn't think he would be from around there. Johnny just confirmed it for her. "But you never saw him once before?" The unsub had to have been there more than just the night of the abductions.

"No, but we haven't been at the window a lot lately," Johnny said. "Mom found out what we were doing and she didn't like it. She thought we were tempting the devil or something so she put white paint over the windows. I was trying to get it off again without her knowing. I mean, I don't really think the devil is tempting us. It's really nice out here."

That's it. Prentiss was going to call CPS on this woman whenever she had the chance. Religion freedom was fine, but white washing a child's windows so he couldn't look outside was something else completely. That was abuse.

"Can I help you find the guy? The bad guy I mean. Like maybe I can distract him while you guys sneak up behind him or something. That could work."

Rossi laughed. "Sweetie," Prentiss said. "This is really dangerous. You should probably go back to your aunt's house. They are probably looking for you."

"No they aren't," Johnny said. "I really want to help."

"Okay," Rossi said. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and went to work on it. Prentiss couldn't see what he was doing, but Johnny was in awe. "Just sent to get this picture developed at the corner store down the street. Would you mind picking it up for me?"

Johnny smiled. "Of course not sir!"

"And get yourself something for lunch too," Rossi said. He handed the kid a $20 bill.

"Are you sure?" Johnny cautiously took the money out of Rossi's hand.

Rossi smiled at him. "I mean it. Get the picture, and get some lunch. By the time you get back, I want every penny I gave you spent. Got it?"

"Yes sir," Johnny said. He hopped back on his bike, but kept the money in his hand. Prentiss knew the boy wasn't going to lose it. He was going to do exactly what Rossi told him to. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Bye!"

"That was nice of you," Prentiss said as they watched the boy disappear around the block.

"He looked hungry," Rossi said. "And it will be easier walking around with the sketch rather than have people look on my phone and see that my battery is almost dead."

"So the unsub isn't from around here," Prentiss said. She pulled out her folder and jotted that note down. "He was stalking either J.J. or Reid, and the only reason he was over here was to get them."

"But we still don't know which one the unsub wanted," Rossi said. He looked behind the car at the Blackwell house which still had several police cars parked out front. "Maybe we can find out who was taken first though."

"Let's do this," Prentiss said. She got out of the car, and locked it behind her. She wasn't sure how Rossi planned to figure out if J.J. or Reid was taken first, but she was curious to find out. The old house loomed over her, and as she got closer, she glanced at the upstairs windows. Just like Johnny told her, there was white paint blocking the outside world from the room.

* * *

Morgan wasn't a huge fan of sleeping in. He was up before sunrise on most days, and even on his days off, he liked to be ready for his day before the morning news came on. It was just the kind of person he was so it surprised him when he rolled over in his bed to see that it was already afternoon. He jumped out of his bed and looked for his shirt. "Savannah!" He found a black shirt thrown over a chair and he put it on, but he still didn't hear his wife calling back to him. He found a belt on the floor, and ran out into the family room as he was putting it on. The afternoon sun poured in warm light from the windows, but the house was empty. Savannah was gone. He wandered into the kitchen and found a note left for him on the table.

 _Hey honey,_

 _Taking Hank for his checkups. Didn't want to wake you up. Left you some breakfast in the fridge. See you in a few hours_

 _-Savannah_

Morgan sighed and put the note down. He knew about the checkups. He had been to every single doctor's appointment his little guy had before so he couldn't believe he was missing this one. He would just have to make it up to them. They could probably go to the park when the doctor's appointment was over since Savannah didn't have to work this week. He found some scrambled eggs in the fridge, and after he heated them up, he sat down on the couch. Savannah always made the best eggs in the world. He would never tell his mother that, but he couldn't imagine life anymore without his beautiful wife and adorable son. He was flipping channels looking for some movie to watch when something caught his eye. He tried not to watch the news anymore. It was usually too depressing, but that's what he found himself watching.

Penelope Garcia was nervously talking to reporters. He hadn't seen her in months, but she didn't change a bit. She was still his beloved baby girl, but something was wrong. He could see it in her eyes, and why wasn't J.J. talking to the press? Garcia was wearing a dark purple skirt with a matching blouse and an oversized flower in her hair. Her heels were high, and he was afraid that she would end up tripping over them. She looked really upset. As much as Morgan hated this, he turned up the volume to hear what she was saying.

"This is the person of interest we are looking for," Garcia told the reporters. A drawing of an unsub was placed on a stand next to her. "Caucasian male in his late 40s to 50s. Light brown hair. About 6'3. No facial hair or visible tattoos. He was last seen in Charlottesville driving towards Highly and Sloan. He was driving a black four door vehicle, possibly a Toyota or a Honda. He's concerned armed and dangerous so if you see him, don't approach him. Call the police immediately. He's wanted in connection to the murder of a 6 year old boy, and in the disappearance of two federal agents."

"What child was killed?" a reporter called out.

"Are the federal agents part of your team?" another one asked.

Garcia looked overwhelmed. "We will have more information about the little boy this week, but the agents were both abducted last night. I won't be revealing the names of the agent for safety concerns, but we need the public's help so if anyone even thinks they know somebody who looks like this drawing, don't hesitate to call us. That is all for now."

Garcia turned around and walked back into the sheriff's office like a pro. He put the television on mute and put his uneaten plate of eggs down. Two agents were missing. The usual spokesperson for their team was J.J., but she wasn't there. It was Garcia. J.J. had to be one of the missing agents. He went back into his bedroom, and pulled the charger out of his phone. He hadn't even looked at it all morning, but he didn't see any missed calls or new messages. The team was probably too busy to call him even if they did need him. He sat down on his bed, and looked across the hallway to his son's room. He could just make out the cradle with the mobile of stuffed animals just above it. He was happy. He was finally home and living the life that he always dreamed of, but what about the team? They weren't related by blood, but they were closer than his own family was most of the time. He would do anything for them. He scrolled down his list of contacts until he found Hotch's name and dialed.

"Hotch," the other man said. Hotch answered just after the first ring. He usually did.

"What's going on?" Morgan heard himself asking. "I just saw the press conference. Well, part of it. I think it was about halfway over when I turned the news on."

"You shouldn't be calling," Hotch said gently.

"Once a member of the team, always a member of the team. Right? You can't just tell me that everything is alright because I know it isn't. Where is J.J.? Why wasn't she giving the press conference? Please fill me in."

Hotch took a deep breath. "We could use help. We just finished a case last night with a dangerous unsub, but then J.J. and Reid went missing. I can give you more details if you want to come down here. Prentiss and Rossi are still in Charlottesville, but I'm here with Garcia."

"Has the new unsub contacted you at all?" Morgan asked.

"No," Hotch said. "I'm not asking you to come."

Morgan nodded, and looked back at his son's room. "No, but I don't need to be asked. I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone before Hotch could argue with him. If J.J. and Reid were both missing, the team needed him back. He wasn't going to let his friends get hurt while just sat around living life to the fullest. He thought about packing a suitcase, but he changed his mind. He didn't have time to pack. Every minute he wasted was another minute lost to the unsub. His friends were waiting for him. He grabbed his jacket off the couch and left without leaving a note for his wife. He planned to call her on the road. She would understand. She knew how much he loved his team.

* * *

Reid's foot was throbbing. He tried not to let it show. He could see the worried look in J.J.'s eyes. He didn't want her to get anymore scared than she already was. The brick landed more on his right foot than his left, but the unsub was right. Both of Reid's feet were broken. He might be able to walk a little bit on the left foot, but his right foot needed a cast. He wanted to look at it just so he could see how badly the break was, but he wasn't willing to give up his socks. His memories of last night were still jolted. They were coming back in bits and pieces, but he was sure it was going to be freezing in that attic when the sun went down. The unsub broke his feet because he didn't want to Reid to leave. Broken bones were almost guaranteed to keep Reid from running off. He was trapped. Reid was trying to memorize everything that their captor was telling them, but it was hard with his foot hurting so badly.

"We are going to need a firm set of rules that both of you will follow," the unsub told them. Reid got a better look at this man's hands as he walked around them. He was wearing a wedding ring that looked expensive. His fingers were clean, and none of his nails were chipped. Assuming this was his house, he was either living off of inheritance or he had a well-paying job. "I don't think I ever really introduced myself. We didn't have a lot of time last night."

"You're name is Nick," Reid said. He did remember that. "You told me that right before you murdered that little boy."

Nick smiled. "That almost seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? I'd like to say that was my first murder, but that would be a lie. I may be many things, but I don't like to be called a liar. But yes, you are right. My name is Nick. My last name is of no concern to you so feel free to just call me Nick. My career is my own business as is my age and personal life. Eventually, I'd like to be able to offer food and water. Eventually. That will not be today however, and I don't think it will be as soon as tomorrow. I do not like screaming. I know that is human nature for you to want to call out for help. I can see myself do something like that in your situation, but no one will help you. Nobody else knows you are here but me so screaming will only hurt your voice."

"What do you want with us?" J.J. asked. "Do you like that question better? You didn't mention ransom money."

"I don't want money," Nick said. "I'm sure your team could come up with money, but your families sure couldn't. Money is more of just a fleeting high to me more than anything else. I guess I like money, but I'm not obsessed with it. I certainly don't need more of it."

Reid felt uneasy. Nick was staring at him a lot more than he was at J.J. "Then why are we here?" J.J. pestered on.

"Because I want you here," Nick said. "This attic will become yours new home." Nick was dangerous, and the longer he talked, the more nervous Reid became. The throbbing pain coming from his feet didn't bother him anymore. Nick didn't want any money. The only thing he wanted was currently chained up in his attic. "Are you profiling me Dr. Reid?" Nick asked.

Reid licked his dry lips. Nick didn't want to be challenged. Reid needed to lay low until he had this unsub figured out completely. He crushed Reid's feet when he was in a good mood. How would he act when he was in a bad mood? "No," Reid said quietly. He broke the eye contact with Nick and looked at his feet. Nick needed to think he was obedient and submissive.

Nick didn't look convinced, but he didn't ask anymore. "I'll be able to spend more time with you on the weekends, but that doesn't mean that we can't talk a little right now. I'm very interested to see how the mind of a profiler works. What does pain mean to you?" Nick pulled up one of the boxes near the window and sat down on it so he could look at Reid and J.J. easier.

"What?" J.J. asked. "Our team is looking for us. We're going to be on the news soon. You can't keep us up here forever. Your sentence will be lighter if you just let us go now."

"And if I'm not planning on letting you go, ever, what will my charges be? Two life sentences in prison? Maybe I could get early release with god behavior. That seems to happen a lot lately. I've seen it in the news, but there's always that other sentence I could get. The death penalty? Do they still call it that? But you never answered my question. What does pain mean to you?"

J.J. pulled against her chains to no avail. "Pain is just what you caused to my friend," she said sharply.

"So to you it's just physical, right? Another bodily sensation that is really not that different from getting tickled or scratching an itch. But it's stronger than that, isn't it? Pain is a universal attribute that all living creatures will experience in one form or another, but it's a private feeling. I can't feel your feet right now, but they are hurting like hell aren't they?"

Nick got on his knees in front of Reid, and despite Reid trying his best to blend into the wall behind him, Nick's hands still found his feet. He skillfully put his hands on Reid's right foot, and ran his fingers down the sock. "Please stop," Reid said. His touch wasn't hurting Reid, but this man didn't abduct them to take care of them. If he didn't want money, he just wanted them. Reid wanted to close his eyes to pretend he wasn't here, but whenever he couldn't see Nick, all he could see was that lightbulb hanging above his head in Hankle's shack.

"You shouldn't be afraid of me Spencer Reid," Nick said. The captor ran one of his hands up to Reid's ankle, but stopped when he fingers slipped underneath the fabric of Reid's pants. He used his index finger to draw invisible lines over Reid's ankle while keeping his other hand on Reid's broken foot.

"Get your hands off of him," J.J. warned. J.J. tried scooting closer to him, but she couldn't get close enough to him.

Instead of getting back to his box, Nick pressed his fingers down on Reid's foot. Instant pain shot up Reid's legs, and he tried recoiling again. "Please stop," Reid said again. "That hurts. That's what pain is."

"If I don't stop, what will happen?" Nick asked. "I don't think a broken foot has killed anybody before. I've read some pretty interesting stories about how people have died, but I'm pretty sure I never read one about somebody breaking their feet and winding up in the morgue."

"No, but if you broke any of the skin, he could get an infection up here and that could lead to him spending the night in the emergency room," J.J. said. He knew that she was just trying to help, but it felt like she was making it worse.

"Broken skin? Let's just see if that mean old brick cut you," Nick said. Using both hands, he delicately pulled off the sock on Reid's right foot. Reid cherished the soft material against his skin because as soon as it was off, Nick threw it across the room. It fell behind some random moving boxes. Reid didn't think he would ever see it again. Once it was off, Nick wrapped his hand around Reid's badly bruised foot. "I don't see any cuts. Do you agent? But you do have nice skin." His touch was gentle until he came across another bruise, and then he dug his fingers into it. Reid head leaned against the wall, and he bit his tongue to keep from crying. It really hurt. "You sure have a lot of bruises. I wonder how all of these will look by tomorrow."

"You abducted us here in the middle night just so you could hurt him?" J.J. asked.

"Is it true that some people can get pleasure from pain?" Nick asked. He finally withdrew from Reid's feet and sat back near the box. "There's no way to get through this life without feeling some pain either from someone breaking up with you or your pet dying or because a psychopath kidnaps you in the middle of the night and drops a brick on your foot."

"If you get pleasure from hurting people, you need to be talking to a doctor about this," Reid said. He wanted to add Nick needed to be in prison, but he wanted to stay on Nick's good side.

"Maybe. But why? Why should I have to see some shrink about something that makes me so incredibly happy? This is the first time in years that I've actually felt alive again." He put his hands behind his back, and Reid braced himself. It wasn't another brick, but Reid was already seeing how Nick worked. "I don't think any single person should be punished for trying to be happy."

"Because you're hurting other people," J.J. tried explaining.

"And who's to say that you were not put on this planet simply for my enjoyment?" Nick asked. "Can you prove to me that you are truly here and that I am not living out some fantasy world similar to the Matrix?"

When Nick struck, he struck fast. He pulled out something that looked like a pen from his back pocket and stabbed it into J.J.'s thigh. The thin object went right through the black pants she was wearing and into her skin. J.J. screamed, and as Nick backed away, Reid could see what J.J. was stabbed with. It was a needle.

"What was in that?" Reid asked. "What did you do to her?"

"I best be on my way," Nick said. He put the used needle back in his pocket, and stretched his arms out in front of his like he was just waking from a long nap. I have quite a bit to get done before dinner is ready, but wasn't this exciting?"

"Don't leave before you tell us what was in that needle!" Reid shouted. "Just tell me what was in it. Please!"

"You'll find out," Nick said. "I don't know if I'll be able to see you again until tomorrow so if I don't, I hope both of you have pleasant dreams. And do try not to scream so much. Remember, no water for a while."

Nick turned around, and disappeared again behind the boxes. His loud footsteps got softer and softer as he went down the stairs. Reid heard him for a little bit longer when he reached the room underneath the attic, but after he locked a second door, there was silence. Reid looked over at J.J. She was still fully conscious, but he couldn't see what was happening to her leg.

"How are you feeling?" Reid asked quickly. "Are you experiencing any symptoms? Headache? Dizziness? Is your leg hurting at all?"

"I'm okay Spence," J.J. said. Her voice still sounded strong and her eyes were focused. "It stings a little from the needle, but I'm okay. Maybe he just did that to scare us."

Reid didn't think so. Nick really broke both of his feet, and he really injected J.J. with some kind of unknown subjects. Thousands of symptoms were running through his mind. Only a few drugs could affect someone instantly. Since J.J. was still alert, it wasn't one of those drugs. He wished that Nick gave him the drug instead because what if it wasn't even a drug? What if it was rat poison coursing through J.J.'s veins? What if it was something he couldn't save her from?

* * *

Rossi led the way into the Blackwell's backyard. They flashed their badges at the officer still guarding the scene, and ducked underneath the crime tape as they crossed from the chipped sidewalk to the grassy yard. A hundred years ago, this house was probably a looker. Rossi was sure the old property was at least that old. It was a beautiful house, but it needed a lot of work. It was no longer a happy place for children to be raised. The dying grass crunched underneath their feet, and even though the sun was high in the sky, it was still freezing outside.

"How long is that boy going to be gone you think?" Prentiss asked. She pulled a pair of rubber gloves out of her pocket, and walked over to the big tree with the house nestled in its branches.

"He's going to be gone for a while," Rossi said. All of the evidence from the night before had already been cleaned up. All of the items left behind by J.J. and Reid were off somewhere getting dusted for fingerprints. The only thing they had to go by were cell phone pictures taken from that night. "It said the picture wouldn't be developed for at least 30 minutes, but it could take up to an hour. I feel sorry for him. I really do."

"I know," Prentiss said. "I understand what Mrs. Blackwell is going through, but she needs to be there for her other kids. Johnny is craving the attention that he never gets at home. That's why he decided to be the neighborhood patrol when his mother left."

Rossi went back to the gate. "So it's night. The yard is dark. Reid and J.J. plan to enter the house from the back in case Adam tried running. But they come in one at a time."

"The unsub was waiting for them," Prentiss said. "It was dark, but they would still be able to see someone standing in the middle of the yard so he had to be hiding somewhere." Prentiss stood back up and looked behind the tree. "He was here. He left a footprint."

Rossi stopped what he was doing and ran over to where Prentiss was standing. He followed her gaze down to the dirt behind the tree, and even though its trace was light, there was a footprint. A single footprint wasn't going to bring his friends home, but they were closer than they were that morning. "He got J.J. first."

"How do you know that?" Prentiss asked.

"Her cell phone was right next to the tree," Rossi said. "So she is walking towards the house, but something makes her turn around. Maybe the unsub made a noise to get her attention or the little boy was crying, but something made her come by the tree. Reid's cell phone wasn't that close to the tree as hers."

"But we still don't know who the intended target was," Prentiss said.

Rossi sighed. She was right. He didn't know if anything they could find in the backyard would tell them if the unsub wanted Reid or J.J. He took a picture of the footprint in the dirt and sent it to Hotch. Garcia would be able to find out the brand of shoe, and then Rossi could trace it down to a shop. If they were lucky, it would be a little store with a handful of loyal customers. He didn't want to think about if they weren't lucky.

"Wait," Rossi said. He moved away from the tree and went over to where Reid's phone was found in the grass. "Reid's phone was found here. This general area. J.J.'s phone was closer to the tree, but if we look back at the pictures, Timmy Blackwell was over here too. Near Reid's phone. J.J. heard a noise and got taken down by the tree, but Reid saw the little boy. The unsub let Reid near the kid as he was dying. That's why his phone is over here."

"He was taunting Reid," Prentiss said. "He could have waited until Reid saw J.J., but he didn't. He wanted to see Reid."

"Reid was the intended target," Rossi said slowly.

"So what do we have so far?" a familiar voice called out. Rossi turned around, and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Morgan walking towards them.

"Morgan?" Prentiss asked.

Morgan smiled, and came up to Rossi and hugged him. Rossi hadn't seen Morgan since he left. The other man hadn't changed much, but Rossi couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What are you doing here?"

"You guys needed me," Morgan said simply. "I'll go back home when J.J. and Reid are safe so fill me in. Whose house is this?"

Morgan really was something else. "If you don't know where we are, how did you find us?" Prentiss asked.

"It's all over the news," Morgan said. "I mean, like everywhere. Saw the cross streets, and so I drove on down here and saw the police tape. Wasn't that hard. Big house though. Kids live here? I like that tree house up there."

"This is where we tracked down the original unsub we were looking for," Rossi said. "His name was Adam Blackwell. We got here before Reid and J.J. did, and we cornered Adam in his room upstairs. We aren't sure what time they got here, but Reid and J.J. went through the back yard to catch him if Adam tried running."

"And that's where it gets confusing. We aren't sure what exactly happened," Prentiss said. "We know that they were taken, and it looks like they were taken one by one due to the position of their phones."

"And the unsub was using the youngest of the Blackwell brothers as some kind of bait," Rossi added. '"The child was abducted in the morning, but nobody noticed him missing. I think the first person to notice he wasn't there was the last Blackwell brother. The unsub had him, and was probably taunting Reid with him."

"That's the child that was killed?" Morgan asked.

"He was gutted," Rossi said. He hated to put it so blunt, but Morgan needed to know what they were dealing. This was the monster that had Reid and J.J.

"The unsub made sure neither one of them had their phones," Prentiss continued. "We found their phones in the yard along with their vests, guns, and shoes. And we think we found Reid's belt in the street. All they really have are the clothes on their backs."

"Only witness so far didn't get a good glimpse of the unsub," Rossi said. "But it's a male, and she provided the sketch artist something to work with. And that's where we are."

"No contact at all from the unsub?" Morgan asked.

"No," Rossi said. At this point, Rossi didn't think they were going to hear from the unsub. He didn't seem like one to taunt the police. He had what he wanted to he was done. Rossi couldn't imagine how long Reid was being stalked. It could have been years for all they knew, and all of that led up to Reid getting abducted that night. If the unsub was watching Reid as long as Rossi thought he was, Reid was still alive. The stalker wouldn't abduct Reid just to kill him. It was J.J. that Rossi was more concerned about.

"We are just here to see if there's something we missed from last night," Prentiss said. "The unsub took his weapons with him, but we did find a footprint underneath the tree. We're getting everything else dusted for fingerprints."

"But this guy probably doesn't have a criminal record," Morgan said. "He doesn't want to stick out because then he would be noticed, and he doesn't want to be noticed. He needs to blend in. His fingerprints, if we find any, won't be in the system."

"But somebody knows him," Prentiss said. "He can be invisible all he wants to the system, but he has friends. He has a job, and he has someplace big enough to keep J.J. and Reid in. It might be a shed or something, but he either doesn't have many neighbors or the walls are sound proof. Stuff like that costs money. And they were abducted at night suggesting he works in the day."

"Who works during the day?" Johnny asked. Rossi didn't even see him come back, and he took a step back when the boy suddenly appeared behind Morgan.

"How did you get past the tape?" Prentiss asked.

"Just climbed the tree in the neighbor's house and hopped over the fence," Johnny said. Ah, to be young again. Johnny proudly handed over the photo Rossi had developed. "Are you another agent sir?"

Rossi pulled the picture out of its envelope and stared at it. Prentiss was right. Somebody knew this guy, and he most likely had a job. That was their key to finding him.

"Yes, I am," Morgan said. He held out his hand, and Johnny eagerly shook it. "I don't think I caught your name yet."

"John Blackwell," the boy said. "But you can just call me Johnny. I like that better."

Morgan glanced at Rossi. Nobody needed to tell him how exactly this boy was related to their case. "Hi Johnny. My name is Derek Morgan. I climbed trees a lot too when I was your age. I think I'm too big for that now."

"Not if you drive out to the forest," Johnny said. "I mean, there's lots of big trees out there. I'm sure you can climb those. Did you guys find a clue about who killed Timmy?"

"We're working on that," Morgan said. "I promise you that we are going to find the monster that killed your brother. You'll be one of the very first people to know, but how about I give you a ride back home? It's getting late, and I'm sure your mom wondering where you went."

"No she isn't," Johnny mumbled, but he didn't fight when Morgan put his arm around him.

"I'll meet you guys back at the station," Morgan said.

Rossi watched them walk back around the fence and out of sight. Morgan really had a way with kids. "I don't think there's anything else to see here," Prentiss said. "We should probably talk to a few more neighbors before heading back though."

"Sounds good," Rossi said, but he didn't immediately follow her when she left the yard. The only question really bugging him was why would anyone want Reid? What did he do to stand out to the unsub? Was it his age? His intelligence? The way he looked? It was impossible to get into the mind of every serial killer that came with their case load, but Rossi really wanted to know why somebody as gentle as Reid would attract interest from a murderer.

* * *

Morgan got the kid into his car, and after Johnny was buckled up, Morgan drove the boy back to his house. He complained about leaving his bike, but Morgan promised to return it first thing in the morning. Johnny wasn't excited about being returned to his aunt's house. The kid would probably spend the entire day with Morgan if he was offered the chance, but Morgan didn't have time to chase after a kid. He was anxious to get to the station and see if Hotch had any new leads. The first 24 hours after an abduction was always critical, and maybe Morgan was wrong. Maybe the unsub was willing to contact the police. Morgan wouldn't be able to find out until Johnny was back at home where he belonged.

"Did you ever have a brother that died?" Johnny asked.

"No," Morgan said. "But I was about your age when my dad died so I want to say I know what you're going through because someone close to me died. I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. His death shaped me into the person I am today, but I don't know what it's like to lose a little brother. You shouldn't have to go through this."

"So you only have sisters? I got stuck with both," Johnny said. "I mean, sisters are cool, but it's harder to talk to them."

"I have sisters, but the team is my extended family," Morgan said. Morgan was already pulling into the neighborhood. It was a lot nicer when compared to where Johnny was being raised. People still had Christmas lights framing their houses and tiny reindeer decorating their front lawns. Morgan wouldn't mind living in a place like this. "So in my team, there is one guy in particular that is more like a brother to me than a co-worker. Like, if I ever did have a brother, he wouldn't be as cool as this guy is."

"Is he one of the missing agents?" Johnny asked as Morgan parked in front of the house. It was a two story house with a cute bird fountain near the front door. "I read it online. That two agents were kidnapped. Is one of them your brother?"

"Yes," Morgan said honestly. There was no point in hiding it from the kid.

"I'm sorry," Johnny said. "The monster killed my brother and took your pretend brother. I wish you could find them today. Are you going to kill him when you find him?"

Morgan wanted to. Morgan would have no problems shooting the son of a bitch in the head for just taking Reid and J.J. Scum like that had no business being alive, but Morgan had to follow the law. He got out of the car, and held the door open for Johnny. "When we find him, he's going to have a trial and all that good stuff. It's up to the jury what happens to him, not me."

Johnny zipped up his coat, and followed Morgan to the front door. "The jury never got to know Timmy though. They won't know what life is like without him."

The kid was smart, and Morgan would have done anything to have saved Timmy and prevent the abduction from ever happening, but he couldn't. Johnny was going to have to go to bed that night knowing he would never again see Timmy, and Morgan would feel sick to his stomach every time he thought about what that creep might be doing to Reid and J.J. They weren't babies anymore. They were trained on how to deal with every type of unsub that was bound to come their way, but that did little to calm Morgan's nerves. They wouldn't be able to do much if the creep handcuffed them to some pipe in the middle of nowhere. Morgan felt it in his heart that they weren't dead. They weren't dead, but the team wasn't much closer to finding them.

Morgan rang the doorbell and waited to hear footsteps coming the stairs or voices getting louder as they came near, but it was quiet. There wasn't anyone walking around. Hell, he couldn't even hear a television on. He rang the bell a second time, but the house remained silent. Nobody was home. "Did your aunt or mother mention going somewhere?"

"No," Johnny said. "They don't say a whole lot to me."

Morgan sighed. He couldn't just leave the kid here. Johnny would probably sneak right back out if Morgan left him in that house. "Do you know your aunt's number?"

"Esther might have it," Johnny said. Morgan wasn't going to bother asking who Esther was. Esther wasn't at the house so it didn't matter at all if she knew the number.

"Back in the car," Morgan said.

"I could just wait here until they get back," Johnny told him.

"Yeah, but that could be hours. I'm not just leaving you out here. Back in the car."

Johnny shrugged and led the way back to the car. Hotch wouldn't mind if Morgan showed up with some random kid, but Johnny really needed to be back with his family. Garcia would be able to find some number they could call to get Johnny home. This was a dangerous case, and with Johnny being as smart as he was, it was better for him not to be involved.

 _hope u guys all enjoyed this chapter. I'm super happy that morgan is back. it wouldn't be a very good cm fanfic without him. id love to hear ur feedback on the development of nick and the other new characters in the story. so pretty plz review. until next time my friends xoxoxoxo_


	7. Chapter 7

_its been a while since my last update so this chapter is longer than most. my poor computer was gone most of my Christmas break which sucked. the little hole where the charger thing goes wasn't working so I had to go to a computer shop and it cost more money than I wanted to pay to get it fixed. so I didn't get it back until my break was over. but here we are. my stories will never be forgotten. there are warnings in this chapter. theres blood and theres probably going 2 b even more blood as the story goes on. I'm still getting a feel for my characters, but its coming along quite well. enjoy!_

 **"Fear cuts deeper than swords."**

 **-George R. R. Martin**

J.J. knew how worried Spence was about what Nick injected her with. She was trying to keep track of her own symptoms though. She wasn't experiencing any pain or dizziness, but she wished she could at least look at her leg. If something deadly was running through her veins, she was sure she would be able to see some kind of terrible marking on her skin, but she couldn't. It seemed like there were a million different possibilities to what Nick could have put in that needle, but if she kept focusing on that, she would probably go crazy. There was nothing she could do about it. For now, everything felt alright to her. Her leg wasn't hurting at the injection site, and she didn't feel like passing out. It was going to be okay. Reid's poor feet were another story. J.J. couldn't tell how long ago it was since their captor left them, but Reid's feet were swelling. His left foot was still covered up with Reid's only sock, but she could see could the black bruises running across his toes on his right foot.

"How do your feet feel?" J.J. asked, but she already knew the answer. Reid could tell her every lie he could think of, but she knew his feet hurt badly.

"They hurt," Reid admitted. "But not that bad. The foot was designed to be able to go through forces of trauma caused by running and jumping so it's better he dropped the brick on my feet than somewhere else. I'm not planning on walking on them anytime soon."

J.J. pulled again on her chains. The chains weren't old and rusty looking like they had been up there for a while. They looked brand new like Nick bought them just for this purpose. How much of this had actually just been set up for this kidnapping? J.J. looked around at the boxes that seemed random to her at first, but the longer she looked at them, the more she saw the design in their placement. They created a path that was just out of her line of sight. It was the path that Nick followed when he talked to them, and it was the path he took when he left. They were probably locked up in the front of the window so they would be able to tell what time of day it was, but she didn't know why Nick chose to keep Reid right next to her. It seemed like they would be stronger the longer that they were together, but J.J. wasn't going to mention that.

"Do you think he went to work?" J.J. asked. With the size of this attic, the house below them had to be huge. They were abducted in the evening, spoke with their captor just before dawn, and they hadn't seen him since. He was working a 9-5 job. That's all J.J. could think of. He would be back to see them before sunset. She was sure of it.

"Yeah," Reid said. He was staring at the boxes too. "He has to have a good job to afford a place like this."

Doctor. Lawyer. Producer even or he was the heir to a fortune from wealthy parents.

"Do you think his wife works?" Reid asked.

J.J. noticed the ring too. Nick never mentioned a wife, but he obviously wasn't living in this huge house all by himself. J.J. wouldn't be surprised if he had a few kids running around too. That meant it was more likely for someone else living here to stumble upon J.J. and Reid hid away in the attic. J.J. wasn't against screaming and making all kinds of noise to get the wife's attention, but they had to make sure that their captor was really at work. If they made a racket and Nick was downstairs, it wouldn't be good for them. The best idea for them right now was just to wait. They would figure out Nick's schedule soon enough.

"I bet she does," J.J. said. "It's rare for a woman to not have a job nowadays. And they probably have kids too. Imagine how big this house is. It's too big for just two people to live here, and seeing as it's a weekday, everyone is gone. Parents at work. Kids at school. House is quiet. It's empty. Except for us."

J.J.'s stomach growled. If Reid heard it, he chose not to mention it. She was hungry. She didn't get a chance to grab something to eat before they drove to the Blackwell house, and she never ate very big lunches. It wasn't going to be long before her stomach growled again. She wondered when Reid last ate. Or drank. She didn't have to use the bathroom which seemed like a gift from God, but she would have to before the night was over. She was positive that Nick wasn't going to let them use his facilities so when nature called, they were going to have wet pants for a while.

"House isn't empty," Reid casually said. He was still staring at the boxes. She lost interest in them a long time ago. Reid probably memorized all the labels written on the boxes, and if there was any design to their organization, he knew that too. "Don't think it's ever empty." J.J. looked towards the boxes to see what Reid was staring at. She still didn't see anything.

"What are you talking about?" J.J. asked. "Don't think the place is haunted Spence."

"No," Reid said with a slight smile. "There's a cat behind the boxes. It woke up about an hour ago, and it's been watching us ever since. I was thinking the cat was going to come over, but I guess it's still scared of us. Nick probably has no idea the cat is up here."

She looked back towards the boxes, but didn't see a cat. She supposed a cat was better than a strange dog hanging around. She never really got over her fear of big dogs, but she would rather have another person hiding around in the attic. A cat couldn't exactly help them. The only thing a cat could do was keep them company during those long nights. J.J. was hoping it wouldn't come to that though. The team already knew J.J. and Reid were missing. How long would it take for them to be found? Hotch and the others most likely already found the crime scene involving the Blackwell child. J.J. didn't think Nick was stupid enough to take their phones, and since their phones were missing, they were back at the house. That meant the team found the little boy, their phones, and their guns. How would that help the team find out where J.J. and Reid were being held?

"Spence, do you think Nick left anything behind when he took us?" J.J. asked.

"Our guns are missing, our phones, our shoes, and my belt is gone. Unless he is keeping those for safe keeping, he left them behind at the house."

"No, I mean like, evidence," J.J. said trying to find the right words. A shadow coming from behind one of the boxes caught her attention. Reid was right. There was a little cat hiding over there. "If they only found our stuff, they won't have much to go on. They won't even have his fingerprints since he was wearing gloves. How is the team going to find us?"

Reid licked his lips. He didn't look scared, but he was anxious. She looked back down at his feet. The swelling wasn't going down. Nothing good would come about of mentioning it again. Reid knew more than she did about the condition of his feet. She just prayed the swelling would go down soon. There was nothing else she could to help him. All they could do was wait.

"Footprints," Reid said. He had his eyes closed like he was trying to remember his own abduction. J.J. didn't want to think about hers. It happened so suddenly. She was glad she didn't have to see that little boy die. She was surprised to see that Reid seemed to be handling it somehow, but maybe that was because reality hadn't yet hit him. All of this could be a dream still. They could both wake up back at the hotel ready to end the case. J.J. still felt like she was in that dreamlike state too. Anything was possible, and consequences didn't really matter because choices made in the subconscious rarely effected the waking mind, but this wasn't a dream. It might be a nightmare, but this wasn't a dream.

"The ground was soft," Reid said thinking back. "The grass was a little bit wet. It wasn't like they just watered it, but maybe the cold nights had lingering dew on it. The yard was mostly grass, but there were still a few areas that were bare like behind the tree where he was probably hiding. His footprints have to still be there." Reid opened his eyes back up breaking the flashbacks in his mind.

The team was probably still at the Blackwell house, and if Reid was right, they found this guy's footprint behind a tree so they had Nick's shoe size. That was it. They might be able to find out where he bought the shoes, but unless it was some really rare shoe store, that wasn't going help the team. That wasn't going to get Reid to the hospital, and it wasn't going to get Nick behind bars. J.J. looked away so Reid wouldn't see the disappointment on her face. She didn't know why she was thinking that Nick would have been stupid enough to leave his wallet behind. That did happen a lot at crime scenes, but Nick planned all of this out perfectly. He knew what he was doing, and J.J. wondered how long he had been thinking about doing this.

"What do you think he wants with us?" Reid asked after a moment of silence. J.J. had been thinking the same thing. It could be Nick's way of striking back at the government for some misfortune that happened in his youth or he was trying to get ransom money to escape somewhere. Both of those ideas seemed plausible, but not likely. Nick seemed more interested in meeting J.J. and Reid than getting revenge or money.

"I don't know," J.J. said. "I really don't."

"He doesn't want money," Reid said. "I don't think he needs money, and he didn't mention calling the media to demand ransom money. I think he just wanted us."

"But why?" J.J. asked.

Reid didn't answer, but he didn't have to. The hiding feline finally decided to introduce herself. She crept out from behind the boxes with a deliberate slowness that amused J.J. Her head bobbed up and down as she studied the new people in her home. She was a delicate little creature with striking calico markings and a dark pink nose. She meowed loudly at them, and inched forward. Her fur looked healthy, and even though she was smaller, she looked well fed. Nick wasn't abusing his cat, but he had no problems locking two federal agents in his attic.

"Hi Kitty," Reid said softly. The cat didn't run away when she heard Reid's voice. She took another step forward, and meowed again. The cat had no idea they weren't supposed to be. To her, this was just another adventure with new humans to meet. Could animals sense pain? If the feline stopped in front of Reid, would she know how badly hurt he was? The cat jumped on one of the boxes in front of them.

"So either he likes cats, his wife likes cats, or his kids do," J.J. said.

"Do you think there are more cats somewhere?" Reid asked. He didn't look around for more though. He had his eyes fixed on the cat on the box.

J.J. didn't care if there were a million cats in the house, but did Nick know this cat was up here? Was he going to come looking for the cat after work? Was he going to come back to the attic earlier than he intended to get the cat? The cat jumped off her perch, and wandered over to the agents. She was back to bobbing her head up and down when she got close to Reid.

The cat might have been afraid of them at first, but she lost all of that fear when she started sniffing the boy genius. She didn't seem to notice his feet, but she circled around him and in no time at all, she was brushing her head against his side. Reid smiled, and he moved his arms to pet the cat only to be reminded that he was still chained up. The cat didn't mind. She circled up, and lay down next to her new friend.

"I think she likes you," J.J. said. She would have been pestering him to go out and adopt a cat of his own if she was safe at home. Nothing the cat did would make her forget where she was or that they were dealing with a dangerous unsub that they still knew little about.

Reid seemed to lose interest when he remembered that he couldn't pet the cat. "Look out the window."

"Why?" J.J. said. She was hoping he could see sirens somehow. All she could see was sky.

"The sun is starting to set," Reid said. "It's still winter so the sun is setting earlier, but that means Nick will be home soon."

J.J. felt like her breath was caught in her throat. Reid was right. Of course he was right. The sun was going down. Nick left very early that morning so he would be heading home soon. He might stop to get some dinner and maybe spend some time with his family, but then he would be right back up in the attic with her and Reid. J.J. wasn't ready to face this unsub again. She didn't like not knowing exactly what she was dealing with or what to expect when he came back, and by the look on Reid's face, he wasn't ready to see Nick again either.

* * *

Hotch thought Garcia did a terrific job at the press conference. He hated asking her to do it because it made her so uncomfortable, but now at least the public had the image of the monster they were looking for. Somebody knew this guy. He just didn't appear out of nowhere and abduct two federal agents. J.J. and Reid had been missing for an entire night. Hotch and the others hadn't slept all night, and he sent Prentiss and Rossi back to the neighborhood after first light. He couldn't believe that much time had gone without a peep from the unsub. What did this guy want with them? If money was a motive, he would have contacted the media by now demanding a location for the ransom money. That call never came, and he had Garcia ready to track any suspicious number that came their way. Rossi reminded him that if their unsub had a day job, any letters or calls would have to wait until he was off work. That was some comfort. If the unsub was working somewhere, he wasn't hurting Reid or J.J.

"I have extra officers patrolling the neighborhood around the Blackwell house," Sheriff Labute told Hotch as he walked in the conference room where Hotch was waiting with Garcia. Jude Labute was a nice enough fellow. Hotch worked with him in several cases in the past. Labute was in his 40s with auburn hair and brown eyes. Hotch only met Labute's wife once, but Hotch could tell even then how much they loved each other. The last time Hotch actually saw Labute was a few weeks after the sheriff's wife miscarried. To Hotch's knowledge, the couple never did have any children.

"I don't expect our unsub will be back at that house any time soon," Hotch said. The abductor had no reason to go back. He already had what he wanted.

"Another body was just found in the area," Labute said. "A young woman in her car. "We don't know if she is another victim of the guy you are looking for, but I'm having my men wait for you. I'm sure your team will know right away if the new guy or not."

"Alright," Hotch said. Hotch was positive that this new victim wasn't from the same guy who took his friends, but it was worth checking out the scene. "Where is she at?"

"Oak and 34th Place," Labute said. "It's within walking distance of the Blackwell house."

While it was very possible that their unsub did kill someone else before the murder of Timothy Blackwell and the abduction of his agents, Hotch didn't think this murder was related to his case. From the sounds of it, this woman died within the general time that Reid and J.J. went missing. If anything, this was the final victim of Adam Blackwell. Hotch pulled out his phone and texted the cross streets to Rossi.

"Oh, and Hotch?" Labute turned around when he got to the door. "There's somebody out here to see you. I think your guest wants to see Garcia as well." Labute smiled, and opened the door a little wider so Hotch could see Morgan waiting patiently out by the front desk. Morgan hadn't been gone that long, but it seemed like years. Garcia made some kind of squealing noise from the chair she was sitting at, but she jumped on her feet and ran over to her dear friend.

Morgan wasn't quite expecting that kind of reunion, and he fell back a few steps when Garcia pounced on him with a big hug. Hotch smiled, and stayed in the conference room for a moment longer to let them have their moment. Garcia was crying, and Morgan didn't look like he was that far from it. Hotch understood why Morgan had to leave, and he would never criticize Morgan for the choices that he made, but this team really was a family. They would always be there for each other. Hotch stepped quietly out of the conference room. He didn't want to disturb them, but there was a little boy standing directly behind Morgan. Seeing as none of the officers were concerned with the child's presence, Hotch was betting the kid came with Morgan.

"Don't surprise me like that!" Hotch heard Garcia telling Morgan. "I've missed you so much and then you come out of nowhere when we are all having this terrible day and you don't even bother telling me that you would be here."

"Sorry baby girl," Morgan said breaking the hug. "I didn't even know I was coming myself until this morning when I saw the news."

"The press conference didn't help much," Garcia said. She wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, but looked ready to start crying again any minute. "We haven't heard from the unsub. At all."

"What time did they go missing?" Morgan asked.

"Just after 11pm last night," Hotch said. "We don't know exactly what time because there were no witnesses, and the rest of us were already in the house. We were in the house for about half an hour, and by the time we got outside, Reid and J.J. were already gone."

Morgan nodded.

"The only things we have to go on right now is the unsub's shoe size, and a drawing that isn't that accurate from one of the neighbors. She saw a stranger in the neighborhood, but she couldn't see him or his car that well since it was dark outside," Hotch said. "We have the sketch hanging up in the conference room."

Morgan followed Hotch and Garcia into the conference room, and stared at the bulletin board. There was so little on it, but Morgan took his time memorizing the face of their unsub. "Another body was just found," Hotch continued. "I'm sending Prentiss and Rossi to check it out, but I don't think it's from our unsub."

"Because he just wanted J.J. and Reid," Morgan concluded.

"We just don't know why," Hotch added. Hotch was sure once they could figure out the unsub's motives, it would be easier to find the guy.

"Who is the little boy standing by the door?" Garcia asked. Hotch looked up, and saw the kid that Morgan came with was now waiting casually by the door. He was no doubt listening to every word they said. Hotch actually forgot all about the kid when Morgan was staring at the sketch.

"Oh," Morgan said. He turned around to acknowledge the boy. "John Blackwell. He was hanging out with Rossi and Prentiss earlier. I offered to take him to his aunt's house, but nobody was home when we got there. I couldn't just leave him outside so I brought him with me."

Hotch looked at the boy, trying to find any kind of similarities between him and his older brother. His hair was much lighter than Adam's was, but they had the same eyes. He was wearing jeans with a black sweater, and even though he was looking at one of the televisions out front, Hotch knew the kid was more interested in what the team was saying than the game on the screen. There was a quick wit about him, and Hotch wondered how a boy like that survived for so long in such a strict household.

"Have you talked to him at all about what he saw last night?" Hotch asked. After they found out that Reid and J.J. were missing, he left the Blackwell family in the care of the sheriff. Hotch hadn't talked to any of them after Adam was killed. Rossi said he found the children in one of the upstairs bedrooms, but that didn't mean they stayed in that room the entire time. It was very likely that one of them saw what happened to little Timmy.

"No," Morgan said. "I found out about his siblings, and that his mother hasn't mentioned to him or the other children about how their brothers died. John found out online at his aunt's house."

That wasn't surprising. The internet provided countless information in a matter of seconds. John was going to find out one way or the other. Hotch just hoped that the kid didn't get too many details. That would mess up his growing mind.

"Do you think he saw something?" Garcia asked.

"I don't know, but I'd like to talk to him," Hotch said. "We don't need to do anything formal, but maybe he can tell us something more than what we have. Did you call his mother?"

"Yeah, I had to leave a message," Morgan said. "Called her three times on the way over. She never answered, but when she decides to check her phone, she will know where he is."

"Thank you for not leaving him outside," Hotch said. He went over to the door and waved the boy over. "Garcia, can you let me know when his mother gets here?"

Garcia nodded, grabbed her laptop, and went back out to the waiting area. "I'm going to grab a coffee," Morgan said after Garcia sat down. "I'll bring one for you too. Be nice with the kid. He's been through a lot. He's doing a pretty good job at hiding it, but be careful."

Hotch would never do anything to traumatize the child, and if John didn't want to talk to him, Hotch wouldn't pressure him. John paused a moment when Morgan left, but he came up to Hotch with a small smile on his face. His eyes were betraying the smile. He looked nervous.

"Hi sir," John said. He kept his hands behind his back, and Hotch noticed that his clothes looked a few sizes too big. Hotch never really dug into the past of the Blackwell family, but he sure this kid was wearing the same clothes that his brothers wore when he was their age. Was this new unsub connected at all to this family? Was there any specific reason to attack when he did?

"Hi, my name is Aaron Hotchner," Hotch said holding out his hand. John took it and smiled.

"My name is John, but I go by Johnny," the boy said. "My sisters call me Johnny. I like it better. I don't think I'm too much like that one guy from the Bible so I'm Johnny."

"Nice to meet you," Hotch said. He stepped into the conference room and beckoned for Johnny to follow him. The boy looked around again, probably for Morgan, but he followed Hotch."Would you mind talking to me for a few minutes? It might help us find the bad guy who took Timmy from you."

Johnny shrugged, but he took a seat at the end of the table. Hotch sat down next to him. If the unsub was stalking their house, someone from the family had to have seen him. "Before you guys came last night, mom put me and my sisters in the guest bedroom. There's a window in there, but you can only see out the side of the house. Not the backyard or the front yard so none of us could see what was going on."

Hotch nodded. He didn't have time to go through the house the night that Adam died, but he didn't think Johnny witnessed the murder of his little brother. "Let's not think about last night. Close your eyes for me. Think back to yesterday. Did you notice any weird cars driving around?"

Johnny closed his brown eyes, and put his hands underneath his legs. His eyes were still moving beneath their lids, and Hotch was grateful this little boy was trying his best to help. "No. Mom painted the windows in our bedrooms white so we can't look out anymore. She didn't want us to get tempted by the devil. When we wanted to look outside, we had to go downstairs to the living room. She didn't paint those windows so we didn't get to see outside a lot. Like ever. But wait."

Hotch perked up, and grabbed a notepad from the table to write down what Johnny said. "There was a weird car yesterday. Not like weird, but I didn't recognize it. I was downstairs for Bible study. Esther and Rachel were upstairs doing girl stuff, and Timmy was supposed to be playing in the backyard. But I couldn't concentrate on the Bible so I looked outside. There was a black car parked across the street. It was shiny. I thought Simon was coming home to visit us, but I don't think he could afford a car like that."

"What kind of car was it?" Hotch asked.

"I don't know car brands," Johnny said. "But it was shiny. And it had 4 doors. The windows were rolled down."

"Could you see the driver?" Hotch pressed on.

"No one was in the car. But when Timmy came out to the front yard, I saw some man hiding behind a bush and I was laughing cause I thought he was some stupid door to door salesman. We haven't seen those guys in forever cause mom always scared them off. I thought he was gonna try to sell Timmy something so I watched."

"What did he look like?"

"Um, he was tall," Johnny said. "His eyes weren't brown. He was wearing dark clothes. Like a black button down shirt and black pants. They weren't jeans. His hair was light brownish. He was hiding behind a bush when Timmy came out, and I saw Timmy finding something in the grass and then he ran inside. I know he found a bird cause he showed me later, but I didn't know then. But after Timmy was gone, the man bent over and picked up the birdy. He had his car keys in his pocket, and he pulled them out after he had the birdy in his hands. I couldn't see what he did, but when he was done, he threw the birdy against the tree. So I knew it was dead. Timmy came back out with a shoe box like he wanted to keep the birdy, but he screamed when he saw it was already dead."

"Your brother brought the bird inside?" Hotch asked. Hotch looked down at his notes. Johnny saw the same black car the neighbor saw from that night, and it seemed like Johnny was giving a more detailed version of their unsub. He couldn't wait to have Johnny talk to the sketch artist.

"Yeah," Johnny said finally opening his eyes. His eyes were big with tears. "Timmy was crying, and he brought the bird to Rachel, but she couldn't help it. I think it was dead before the bad guy threw it on the tree."

"Why?" Hotch asked.

"It was bleeding really bad from its stomach," Johnny said thinking back. "Timmy was going to ask Adam to help bury the bird under the tree house, but I don't think he ever did. The bird is probably still next to Timmy's bed. He was really upset about it. We all are. None of us saw anything dead before. I didn't know that Timmy was going to be dead next. When mom went to see his body earlier, she wouldn't take any of us with her. She even left Esther behind."

Johnny couldn't go on. Tears were freely falling from his face now, and he kept sniffling. Hotch wasn't going to ask anymore from him, but when he was ready, Hotch wanted the sketch artist to talk to him. If Johnny's memories were right, they could get a very detailed image of the monster they were dealing with. Somebody was going to recognize the unsub.

"I mean, I can't even remember the last thing I said to Timmy," Johnny said. He wiped his tears away with the sleeve of his jacket. "Why would somebody do that to him? I don't understand. I'm really sorry that your friends are missing, and I really hope that the bad guy isn't hurting them too. But if I knew the same creep who killed the bird was going to kill my brother, I would have stopped him right then."

"There's nothing you could have done," Hotch said softly. "You're helping us a lot now."

"What do you want me to do?" Johnny said.

"I have somebody here that can draw the man you described to me," Hotch said. "Once the drawing is done, we can post it on the news so that everybody can see what he looks like."

"Do you think you will find him fast then?"

"Faster than not having this sketch," Hotch said standing up. All they needed was for one person to recognize him. Just one person.

"I'm sure your friends are okay," Johnny said. "I mean, maybe not okay, but like alive. He killed Timmy right away. He didn't do that to your friends."

Hotch agreed, but the unsub wasn't keeping them alive so he could have more friends. He was keeping them alive for another reason. He had to believe that they were both still alive since no more bodies have been found except for the woman in the car. When he killed Timothy Blackwell, he left the child's body out in the open for all to find. Hotch suspected that if he was planning on killing Reid and J.J., he would treat their bodies in a similar fashion.

"Thank you for your help," Hotch said. Johnny smiled. He was done crying, but he was never going to get over losing two brothers in one night. "Would you mind talking to the sketch artist now?"

"I'm ready," Johnny said.

Hotch smiled back at him, and stepped out of the room where Morgan was already waiting with the sketch artist. She held her collection of drawings against her chest, but she looked more than ready to talk with the little boy. "You read my mind?" Hotch asked Morgan.

"Nah, I'm not that cool," Morgan said laughing. "Overheard you, and when Johnny started talking about the unsub, I knew you would need this lady soon."

"My name is Robin," she said smiling. She had short brown hair that bounced up and down when she talked, and her brown eyes were hidden behind a pair of glasses. "The sketch shouldn't take that long, but hopefully he can give me enough details to work with. I'm sure he will."

"John Blackwell!" a woman shouted from the front door. Hotch turned around and saw Mrs. Blackwell storming in the police station with her two daughters. Hotch hadn't seen any of them since last night. He wasn't even sure that he met any of the other children, but these were her daughters. The older of the daughters, Esther, had brown hair that went straight down her back. The younger daughter, Rachel, had the same brown hair but her hair was far past her waist. They had similar dark eyes, the same color that Johnny had, and they were dressed modestly. They wore long blue skirts and white button shirts with black sweaters over them. The elder of the daughters had a gold necklace on with some kind of charm on it, but that was the only thing that Hotch could see that was different about the two girls.

Johnny didn't look much like his mother. She didn't have their same brown eyes, and Hotch didn't see a single freckle on her face. The children probably looked more like their father than their mother. The only characteristic they got from her was their hair coloring. She was dressed more casual than her daughters were wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but her gray eyes looked fierce.

"Ma'am, please don't come in here shouting," an officer approaching her calmly said. Her daughters stayed behind as she came further into the station. "What can I help you with?"

Hotch turned around to watch Johnny sinking further and further into his chair. Hotch felt for him, but he had no power to keep Johnny there if his mother wouldn't let him. Morgan slipped past Hotch, and sat down next to the kid. That didn't help much. Johnny looked miserable.

"I'm looking for my son," she said. She was nearly shouting again. "John Andrew Blackwell. 12 years old. He will be 13 on October 28th. Someone called me and told me that he was here. He has light brown hair, and his eyes look just like his sisters' do."

"We were just talking to him Mrs. Blackwell," Hotch said. He took a deep breath, and walked out front to meet her formally. She didn't look eager to shake his hand when he held out, but she did. "My name is Agent Aaron Hotchner. We met for a few minutes last night."

"What are you doing with my son?" she demanded. "He needs to be home."

Hotch looked back where Morgan was hanging out with Johnny. He couldn't see them where he stood, and neither could Mrs. Blackwell. "He saw someone suspicious in the neighborhood the day that your younger son was killed. He was just about to give the description to the sketch artist so we can get it sent to the media today. The faster the public knows who we are looking for, the faster we can catch him."

"How dare you talk to my son without my permission? What gives you the right to talk to a child without the parents present? John! I know you can hear me. Get over here right now!" she shouted.

Johnny emerged from the conference room with Morgan by his side. His head was hanging down low, and he kept his hands held together in front of him as he went to his mother. His mother grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him back to his sisters.

"Don't you dare disappear like that again!" she yelled. "Girls, take your brother to the car. I'll be there in a minute." The eldest daughter nodded, and put an arm around Johnny's shoulders. He looked close to crying again. Rachel held the door open for them, and the three of them left together. When they got to the old van, Johnny looked back up at Hotch. He looked like he was trying to say something, but Hotch missed the message when Esther nudged him into the vehicle.

"Ma'am, we are really sorry for what happened last night, but his statement could help us find the monster than killed Timothy," Hotch said gently.

"You are the ones that killed Timothy," Mrs. Blackwell scowled. "You came into my home, killed one of my oldest children, and then allowed my baby to be murdered in his own backyard. You did this. I want you nowhere near their funerals and I don't want any of you speaking to my children ever again. I hope you rot in hell for what you did to my family." She spat on Hotch's feet, and stormed out. Hotch watched her race to her van, and speed away without bothering with her seatbelt.

"I'm going to have a talk with her," Sheriff Labute said calmly stepping up besides Hotch. "What she just did was assault a federal agent."

"She's grieving," Hotch said. People grieved in different ways. Hotch couldn't imagine losing two children in one night. It didn't matter if one of them was a murderer. Adam was still her baby, and Hotch would never criticize someone for the way they mourned. He was just really disappointed about losing Johnny before the sketch was made. They couldn't do it without that boy.

"You gotta stop making excuses for people," Labute said, but he turned back to his desk. "That woman wasn't nice before her kids died. I'm just waitin for the day when another one of her kids snap, and I'm sure it's gonna happen. You saw how she was with them. Those girls didn't say one word, and her boy got quiet too once she got here."

"I don't think we've seen the last of Johnny," Morgan said.

"Why?" Hotch asked. He personally never wanted to see Mrs. Blackwell again.

Morgan handed Hotch a ripped up piece of paper. Hotch opened it up, and saw the bad hand writing from the preteen.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME. YOU'LL SEE ME AGAIN

Hotch put the note in his pocket without thinking twice, and pulled out his phone. He didn't have any new messages from Rossi or Prentiss. They were probably already at the crime scene. They were most likely going to tell him the dead woman in the car had nothing to do with the guy they were looking for, but Hotch didn't have time to wait. Reid and J.J. needed him. If they were right about the unsub having a regular job, he'd be home pretty soon.

* * *

Rossi and Prentiss were heading back to the station when Hotch told them about a new victim. The unsub that abducted Reid and J.J. did it with such skilled ease that it was probable there were more victims they had yet to learn about. He made sure he left nothing but a footprint behind when he took them that night. Prentiss was already running a profile in her mind. He wasn't a young man. Younger criminals make more mistakes so he was probably in his 40s. He was in shape. He murdered a little boy and abducted two federal agents with ease, and he probably didn't stick out in a crowd. The sketch that their witness gave had been out to the public for hours, and as far as Prentiss knew, they didn't get a single new lead. He also had space to keep Reid and J.J. in, and it was someplace that he knew his family wouldn't look so Prentiss was imaging a shed of some sort.

"We should start looking at bigger properties," Prentiss said. The houses in this neighborhood weren't small by any means, but none of them looked big enough for a shed to be in the backyard.

"I don't think asking Garcia to send us a list of people with a lot of land is really going to narrow down our search," Rossi said.

Rossi pulled over across the street from an obvious crime scene. Prentiss counted for police cars, and curious pedestrians stood in front a nearby house taking photos. What good would those pictures be for anyone? Someone's life was tragically cut short, but the public was just basking in the moment of being close enough to the scene to show off the photos to their friends. It made Prentiss' stomach roll. She put gloves on, and was ready to cross the street as soon as Rossi locked the car.

They pulled out their badges when they got up to the officers, and the police stepped aside. Like Hotch told them, the policemen had not touched the vehicle. It was a cute Volkswagen bug with a large flower sticker on the back. Red dice hung from the rearview mirror, and the steering wheel was covered with a cover of red flowers. This was the girliest car Prentiss had ever seen. It belonged parked in front of some high school, not surrounded by police cars in a murder investigation. Prentiss bent down to look inside the driver's window, but it was hard to look in. There was blood everywhere. She debated against opening the door. With her luck, the dead girl inside would tumble right out so Prentiss circled around to the passenger side of the car.

She opened the door and took a step back. The smell was overwhelming. This girl wasn't just killed. Prentiss couldn't tell how long the body was just sitting in the car decomposing, but she thought the girl probably died sometime during the night. Blood was all over the once pristine car. On first glance, Prentiss could tell the poor thing fought for her life. That's why the blood was in more areas than just her seat, and her hand was still on the door. Her final moments would soon become immortal in the photographs the police would take of the scene. They would be stored somewhere and become forgotten in time, but this broke her heart. The hand with the red nail polish and heart ring still on the door handle just showed Prentiss that the girl was trying to get away. She was trying to get out of that damn car and failed. She paid with her life.

"Her name is Danielle Lewis," an officer behind them said. "We didn't touch anything, but we did look up the license plate. She just got the car a year before."

"How old was she?" Prentiss asked. She spotted a framed photo of an older man in the backseat. Even that was not spared from the bloody mess that stained the rest of the car.

"She was 19," the officer said. "We haven't told her family yet. We were waiting for the body to be positively identified."

Her purse was in the floor of the backseat. It was a little red purse that seemed to match with everything else in the vehicle except for Danielle. She was wearing all black. She wore a black coat that was opening just enough to reveal a black dress underneath, and she wore a matching black headband over her blonde hair. It seemed odd that a vibrant girl like Prentiss assumed she was would be wearing all black. She looked at the picture in the backseat again and made the connection. She was going to or coming from a funeral.

"Her throat was slit," Rossi said. He leaned forward in the car, and gently opened up Danielle's mouth just enough to look inside. "Her tongue is missing."

That settled any mystery for Prentiss. Danielle Lewis wasn't murdered by the unsub who abducted Reid and J.J. She was the final victim of Adam Blackwell. Rossi pulled out of the car and pulled out his phone to let Hotch know. Prentiss got further into the girl's car to close her mouth when she noticed a gold locket on a necklace she was wearing. The tiny locked was opened up to reveal a photo of the girl and the same man who's photo was in the backseat. She closed Danielle's mouth, and got out of the car. The smell was starting to make her feel light headed.

"The unsub that has Reid and J.J. might have been watching them," Prentiss said.

"I think he was watching Adam Blackwell for a lot longer than we were," Rossi said putting his phone back into his pocket.

"He knew when we were coming," Prentiss added. This new unsub was smart. She would give him that much. He had every last detail of this abduction planned out. He could have even planted that footprint there to throw them off his track. "He was ready and waiting for J.J. and Reid in the backyard. He was probably there even before we were."

"So he knew what case we were on, and he solved it before we did," Rossi concluded.

Prentiss looked back at the car, and was blinded by a flashing light coming from one of the spectator's cell phones. She couldn't believe the blatant disrespect by some idiot with a smart phone. She looked across the street at the group of people. Most of them were young, in their 20s, but there were a few that looked even older than her. She didn't know which one took her picture. It didn't matter, but she wished that they would stop.

"He was ready before we were too," Prentiss added. Not only was the unsub hiding out in the backyard, he also had his bait. "Do you think he knew Adam?"

"That could explain how he solved our case so quickly," Rossi said. "But Adam wasn't the smartest tool in the shed. The unsub that took Reid and J.J. seems smarter. A lot smarter."

Prentiss still wanted to look into the idea of Adam having a close friend that knew all of his secrets, but where would they find the friend? Adam didn't go to school, and he didn't have a job. From everything Prentiss gathered about him, his only friends were his siblings. That could be something for Garcia to look up. Prentiss was sure he graduated from high school, and he might have a lingering friend or two that he talked to sometimes. It wasn't a strong lead, but it was better than nothing.

* * *

Maddie was shocked when she turned on the television that morning and heard what occurred during the night. It was bad enough that a little boy was brutally murdered and that his older brother was a suspected serial killer, but two federal agents were abducted from the scene as well? How often did that actually happen? Maddie couldn't think back to one incident even similar to this one. Not one. She couldn't wait to get to school though and ask Professor Nick what he thought about this. If anyone had some kind of insight into a killer's mind, it had to be her Philosophy teacher. He came highly recommended, and even though classes had only just started up again after the long Christmas break, she liked him. She was always fascinated by serial killers. When she was in high school, she would spend hours in the library looking up killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy. What made them into cold blooded monsters? Most of them blamed trouble upbringings, but not all of them were beaten and abused as children. What was their excuse then?

Maddie threw a pair of jeans on, a cream colored blouse and a black jacket and ran out to her car without eating breakfast. She always wanted to look her best when she left the house. Eating always came second to her. She was the first one to class, like always, but Prof Nick didn't get there until the minute class was supposed to start. He was disheveled. He was wearing a different suit than the one yesterday, but what hair he had wasn't brushed. He went through the lesson swiftly, without taking any questions, and left before the students did when he was finished. Maddie couldn't get one single question in, and God knew she had a lot.

She was a little bummed out when she headed to her next class. It was just Math class, and even though the young man teaching the class was a looker, she really wanted to talk to Prof Nick. She sat through the rest of her classes with little interest. Only one of her teachers took a moment of silence for the little boy who was killed. The rest of them acted like nothing of any great importance happened last night. It wasn't like some huge mass shooting, but it was still sad and there was still a monster on the loose. She didn't think the guy who took the agents was a danger to the rest of society though. If taking the agents was his first real crime, he sure aimed really high. There was probably something about the FBI that pissed him off, and he wanted to get revenge. That seemed plausible. She wondered if the FBI thought of this. She wondered if there was a way to contact them. She was sure there was a tip line somewhere, but she didn't recognize the man in the sketch that was going around. There was a witness to the horrors that unfolded during the night, and she gazed at the sketch released by the FBI. She stared during her lunch, but she didn't recognize him.

After a short lunch, she strolled down to the library. She had a little bit of time before English class, and since she didn't have any homework, she thought she could read. It beat going back home. That would just be a waste of gas. There weren't any new books out that she really wanted to read so she just strolled through the aisles until something caught her attention. The book she chose had a large black cave on the cover with a young woman holding a lantern peaking in. That was enough to catch her attention. What was inside the cave? She liked books that made her think. If a book was truly over when she was done reading it, was it worth it? She liked stories that stayed with her long after the last page. She sat down with her chosen book near the back of the library and started reading.

Maddie only got to the third chapter when someone caught her eye. The red hair of the woman stood out in a room full of brunettes and blondes. She looked up and saw Mrs. Harris browsing through the biographies of ancient leaders. Maddie could see why Prof Nick married her. She was beautiful. She wore a long blue skirt with a white button down blouse. She wore a longer white coat over it which made her red hair stand out even more. When Nick was next to her, they looked like the perfect couple. Maddie rarely saw them together though. They worked opposite hours so it was odd to see Mrs. Harris there that early. Maddie took a class with Mrs. Harris last semester, and she wanted to again this semester, but her schedule was already too full. Mrs. Harris was one of her favorite teachers.

She put the book down, and walked over to Mrs. Harris. Since Maddie couldn't talk to Prof Nick, she was sure that his wife would have some insights. They were probably talking about it this morning before he left for work.

"Mrs. Harris?" Maddie asked.

The pretty woman turned around and smiled when she saw Maddie. She didn't look like she got much more sleep than her husband did. They both looked exhausted, but Mrs. Harris had her hair brushed. That was more than her husband could say.

"Oh, good afternoon Maddie," she said retaining her smile. "I've missed seeing you in class."

"I know," Maddie said. "Your class was awesome. I'll try to pick one of your other classes next semester. I'm taking Philosophy 101 with your husband though."

"How do you like it?"

"So far, so good," Maddie said. She wasn't lying. The class was still in its infancy, but she thought she liked psychology more. "I was wondering if you watched the news this morning with him. I wanted to know what he thought about the shooting and the FBI agents going missing and stuff."

Mrs. Harris broke eye contact. Maddie didn't know if she was trying to find the words, but Maddie didn't think she watched the news with her husband. She didn't need Mrs. Harris to tell her that.

"We didn't watch it together," she finally said. "We don't watch TV together that often since he leaves so early every day, but I heard about it later. It's awful what happened. I feel so sorry for the family with the little boy. I can't imagine losing a child like that."

"And then the kid's big brother was the Tongue Ripper guy," Maddie added. It wasn't uncommon for the serial killers to have siblings. It was uncommon for the younger brother of a serial killer to be murdered by another serial killer. "I guess I'll have to ask Mr. Harris tomorrow."

"Why couldn't you just ask him during class? It would probably be an interesting discussion for all of the students," Mrs. Harris said.

"He didn't take any questions during the lecture today," Maddie said. She had a million questions about what he was teaching that day and about the Tongue Ripper, but she didn't get to ask any of them. Her mother always thought she could make a living out of being a reporter. She always had questions to ask, but she didn't like being in front of the camera that much. She would rather be a profiler or somebody working in criminal justice. She wanted to lock up the bastards that hurt children.

"I'll ask him about that when I see him then," Mrs. Harris said. "I know that he does get really busy during the day. He rarely has any time for himself. I'm hoping we can take a long vacation somewhere once we get to spring break. God knows I need it."

"I think everyone wants to go on a vacation," Maddie said. "Thanks for talking to me Mrs. Harris. I really did miss you over winter holidays."

Maddie turned around to read for a little while longer when Mrs. Harris cleared her throat. Maddie turned around, expecting some light hearted joke to end the conversation, but her former teacher looked serious. "I will tell you something about the shootings last night."

"What?" Maddie asked. She stepped forward so Mrs. Harris wouldn't have to raise her voice.

"Adam Blackwell, the Tongue Ripper suspect who was killed last night…He was a former student of mine," she said quietly. "I had him last semester. He wasn't in your class, and I probably wouldn't have remembered him except for he let me borrow one of his books. I never finished it. I didn't like it which is rare. I like almost every book I read in some weird way, but not this one. Nick said we could go this weekend to Adam's neighborhood to return the book. I guess we won't be going now."

"You had a serial killer in your class?" Maddie asked loudly enough to get other students to turn and look at her. She didn't care.

"He wasn't killing anyone when he was in my class," she quickly said. "At least, I don't think he was. He was just one of those quiet kids that you forget about. I probably would have if he didn't loan me that book. I don't know what we are going to do with it. I don't want it anymore, and I wouldn't feel comfortable returning that to his mother."

"Could I look at it?" Maddie asked.

Mrs. Harris got quiet again, but she didn't break eye contact. "It's not a very factual book. It's dark which doesn't seem surprising now that we know what Adam Blackwell was into."

"Is the book about death?"

Mrs. Harris looked uncomfortable, and Maddie felt bad for pressuring her. "It's about religion if God was out to get vengeance against all of us. I know you're an adult, but I don't want you reading it. I don't want anybody reading it. I think I'm just going to burn it in the fireplace tonight."

Maddie wanted to read that book more than ever now, but it wasn't fair to put Mrs. Harris in this situation so Maddie let the subject drop. "I hope the rest of your day goes good."

"Thank you Maddie," Mrs. Harris said kindly. She put the book she was holding back on the shelf, and left without another word. Her former teacher was a gentle soul. Maddie could tell that much, but just because Mrs. Harris wouldn't let her borrow that book, it didn't mean Maddie couldn't find it herself.

Maddie kept the novel she picked out earlier, but didn't sit back down to read it. She wandered over to the section of the books about religion. She was determined to read the book that Adam Blackwell lent to Mrs. Harris. She didn't care about how disturbing it might be. The book could offer some insight into his confused and twisted mind that led him to kill.

* * *

Nick couldn't get home fast enough. He was delayed for a few minutes when one of his students wanted to talk about an upcoming project, but he shut them up as quickly as he could. He didn't want to talk about projects, and he didn't want to run into his wife. He heard that Abby was on campus, and with his luck, he would run right into her and she'd want to talk about a fun weekend. Weekends were never fun with her. He didn't care how hard she tried. It was never going to be lovey dovey between them. He appreciated her effort, but it was fruitless. He made it to his car without further incident, and just like he was told, his wife was there. She had the nerve to park right next to him in the parking lot. She wasn't in the car, thank God, but her car looked shinier than his. The red paint on her car made Nick's car seem like nothing more than a shadow. He needed to get his car washed too.

If anyone asked him later, he wouldn't remember his ride back home. He had the radio on, and switched stations whenever a commercial came on, but he didn't listen to a single song. He didn't care. His thoughts were consumed on the young man trapped in his attic. He did wish it was Saturday just so he could spend all day really understanding the kind of person Reid was. What did he think about when he was alone? His career? His mother? His books? What was he really afraid of? Nick was sure that he murdered J.J. in front of Reid, the agent would never mentally recover so that was one of Agent Reid's fears. Nick had no plans on killing J.J. that day. He would eventually, but it wouldn't be today. He didn't believe J.J. was any kind of real threat to his quest. She was tied up, and he would probably be able to get Agent Reid to do what he wanted if he was afraid J.J. would get hurt.

He didn't park his car in the garage when he got home. He didn't want the long walk from the garages to the house so he pulled right up front. Could the agents hear his car? The window in the attic wasn't open, but with the house being quiet, it was very likely they heard him turn his engine off. They probably knew he was back. He unlocked the front door and threw his school bag in the living room. All he needed from school was already in his hand. He was rarely without his phone. He went into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of lemonade, and sat down to review the security footage from that day. The property was so large that they needed surveillance cameras. Abby even wanted to get a guard of some sort so watch the property while they were away or asleep, but Nick convinced her that cameras would do the job. He had cameras planted at the front gate, all sides of the house, the swimming pool, the garden, and he had a few inside the house itself. The only footage he was really interested in reviewing was the camera planted in the attic.

Nick sat down in his favorite armchair to review the footage. The camera was placed just to the side of the little window. It wasn't big enough to draw their attention, but he wasn't dealing with an average citizen. The two people he abducted were smart enough to discover clues that most people would just ignore. He would be surprised if they didn't find the camera yet. He took a big sip when the footage started rolling, and while it was interesting to watch his captives talk to each other, he couldn't hear a damn word they were saying. The video cameras he purchased didn't come with sound. He was going to have to make another trip to the store after work tomorrow. He wanted to know what they were talking about. He needed to know what they were saving. Since their lives were in his hands, everything they said to one another became his business. He would let them keep their secrets for another night. After that, anything they talked about would be used against them. He would make sure of that.

The hidden video camera didn't reveal all that much. It was mostly just the two agents talking to each other, but about halfway through the footage, Reid found the camera. He looked right at it for a full minute, and then he nudged J.J. a little to show her. It would change their behavior somewhat now that they knew they were being watched. Reid probably knew that the camera didn't have sound, but he would know for sure when Nick replaced it. Their conversation didn't cease after the discovery of the camera. He was sure that they had a lot to say. This was their first night in the makeshift prison, but he didn't think their talking would go on much longer. He wasn't planning on giving them any water until they absolutely needed it, and food wasn't on the schedule at all. They were going to have to earn that. Without the energy from food, they would just get weaker and weaker. Talking would no longer be their priority. Staying alive would be the only thought that consumed their minds.

He turned the footage off, set his empty lemonade glass down, and checked Critter's food bowl. It looked untouched. He was so used to filling it back up whenever he got home from work. It was possible that Abby filled it up before she left, but that seemed unlikely. Nick shrugged it off. His cat would eat when she got hungry. He walked over to the pantry, and got on his knees to find where he hid the supplies he needed for the agents. Abby never went snooping around in the pantry. It was true that she liked to cook, but all of her ingredients were all the shelves easiest for to access. She was never a huge fan of getting on her knees so he knew his secret would be safe there. He found the needle that he was keeping for J.J. untouched in a baggie. The vile of liquid was still right next to it. He whistled as he filled the shot with the liquid, and he safely put it back in the baggie. He wasn't a doctor so he didn't know exactly how long the deadly fluid would start taking effect on her, but hopefully it would be soon. What was Reid going to do when he found out his friend was dying? He wouldn't be able to help her or relieve any pain that she would be going through. All he would be able to do is watch. And cry.

Nick found his baseball bat where he left it by the staircase, and took a deep breath. It was finally time to see his agents. He took the elevator after he got up the staircase. He didn't feel like walking up another staircase after the first. That would just be wasting time, and he didn't need to burn any more calories. He was in pretty good shape as it was. The elevator ride was a short one, and he resisted the urge to pop in his study when he walked by. He usually went there after a long day at work. It was the perfect place to quiet in his mind. He liked to be alone with his books. They gave him the comfort that his wife never could, but he didn't need them now. He had Reid waiting for him. That's all he needed.

The door to the bedroom creaked loudly when he opened it. When he returned tomorrow with the new video camera, he would get the damn door fixed. He wanted the element of surprise, but he would never get that if the door continued to sing the song of its people whenever he turned the nob. He looked down at the twin sized bed waiting so patiently for a guest to rest their weary head. The dark blue comforter on top looked inviting, and the sheets were freshly washed. He really hoped that one day Agent Reid would be able to use it. He would unlock the bathroom door so Reid could shower, and he was sure the young man would like to look out the window. Nick was quite proud of the condition of his property, and his front yard belonged on the cover of some magazine. He had gardeners come by once week to maintain it, but Nick liked to sit out there and read when the weather permitted it. Reid would never be able to do that, but the agent could dream about reading in the sun again. Nick wasn't against bringing books to Reid if the agents behaved. Books couldn't be used as a weapon, and Nick wanted people to learn something new every day. Just because their bodies were locked up didn't mean their minds couldn't escape somewhere else pleasant.

He picked up the rope he left on the floor near the bed, and opened the door that led to the attic. This door didn't creak like the other one, but the agents already knew he was there. He swung the rope over his shoulder, and walked up the stairs taking one step at a time. There was no hurry. He wasn't the least bit tired, and his wife wasn't supposed to come home until after dinner time. He had all the time in the world. He unlocked the door at the top of the staircase, and casually pushed the door open. It didn't squeak, but the agents remained quiet. He followed the path he created for himself with the boxes, and made his way deeper into the attic where Reid was waiting for him.

"Good afternoon agents," he said with a smile when he finally saw them again.

Little changed since he saw them last. Reid's right foot, the one without the protection of the sock, had swelled a lot more during the night. The bruising was a dark shade of red mixed with a bit of purple, and his poor toes looked almost blue. He wasn't going to be able to walk on that for a while. Other than that, they looked the same. Their hair was disheveled, and the clothes they were wearing looked dirty from twisting around in the dirty attic all night. Nick couldn't remember the last time the attic was cleaned. He wondered what kind of goodies he could find in those boxes. He could be storing some priceless gems up there and he'd have no idea.

"You need to let us go," J.J. said with authority in her voice. It's funny how she could sound so serious while being chained to a pipe in a stranger's attic. He was the one in control, not her.

"You've been missing for almost 24 hours, and that's all you can tell me?" Nick asked. "I'm a little bit disappointed in you. I thought you would offer more conversation than just begging for freedom."

"You never told us what you wanted," Reid said quietly.

Nick got on his knees in front of Reid. The agent never broke eye contact. Nick liked that. He wanted to see Reid's bravery so when the bravery was finally broken, Nick would know. "I just want you," Nick replied. "You are going to listen to every word I tell you from now on."

"Or what?" J.J. asked.

"Or I'll shoot your brains out," Nick said quickly. He was getting really sick of her attitude. Life would be so much easier if she was gone. "I'll dump your bodies where I killed that kid, and you will rot. Want that? I didn't bring the gun with me, but its right downstairs. Want me to grab it?"

Neither agent said anything. "I want to be nice to you. I really you, but your continuous fighting with me is making that difficult. You've already sealed your fate about getting water today, and you probably won't get any tomorrow either. You only have yourselves to blame. We have a few things to get done today though. Are you going to listen or cause more problems?"

"You don't have to do whatever you are planning," Reid said. The eye contact was finally broken. He could tell that the pretty boy didn't like Nick to be that close to him. "If you want to talk, why can't we just talk? We can talk about whatever you want to."

That brought a smile to Nick's face. It felt good to smile again. He knew that taking Reid was a good idea. He didn't regret a single thing. "We will talk after we get this little errand done. It will only take a few minutes." The agents weren't going to like what he was planning, but it had to be done. "I have another needle in my pocket. If either one of you try something, guess where the needle is going?"

Reid instinctively scooted closer to J.J. Nick liked how close they were to each other. That was just going to make his job easier. "First things first, getting rid of the socks. I know that the attic gets drafty at night, but I've always liked to look at feet. I rarely wear socks when I'm inside, and so that is what I am getting rid of first. Like I said before, if either one of you kick or struggle, you will not like the consequences."

Nick turned to J.J. He didn't care much about her feet, but he knew how uncomfortable she would be without the warm socks on her feet. Her socks matched. He cautiously put his hand on her right foot. He wasn't positive that she was going to heed his warnings, but she didn't kick. She didn't try to scoot away and she didn't pull her feet back. He put his hand on the top of her sock, and pulled it off in one swift movement. Her small feet were well taken care of. They were soft to the touch, but she bent her toes when he tried to touch them. He didn't care that much. He repeated the action with the other foot, and threw both socks over the boxes.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Nick said. J.J. didn't reply. He turned his attention back towards Reid. Like his friend, Reid has his feet facing Nick. Nick felt awful for what he did to Reid's feet, but the right one really was worse than the left. From what he could tell, the left had minimal swelling. He walked his fingers up Reid's purple striped sock, and stopped just below his pants. He didn't pull the purple striped sock right away like he did with the woman. Reid's skin felt warm underneath his touch, and he dared to venture up even further on Reid's left leg.

"What are you doing?" J.J. asked.

Nick stopped. He didn't want to, but he stopped. He put his hand back on the top of Reid's sock, and pulled it off. He threw it somewhere near where J.J.'s socks landed. How much further would he have gone if that bitch didn't interrupt him? Reid's left foot didn't have much bruising, but the brick did break the skin. There were numerous cuts on Reid's foot and toes.

"Next piece of business is your pants," Nick said. His heart started pounding. Reid wasn't going to be able to stop him, but Nick had to be patient. "I'm planning on bringing blankets up here, but your pants have to go. There's going to be no arguments and no negations. All clothing is doing is hiding the bodies that you were given at birth. I can understand why human beings feel the need to cover up while walking around in public, but there is no shame here. There will be some initial fear, but you will grow used to it. I can't take your shirts with your arms behind your back, but everything else I'm taking."

"Clothing is also protecting our bodies from the pieces of wood sticking out from the uneven floor," Reid said quickly licking his lips. Nick loved that little habit he had. "Many types of dirt hold different kinds of bacteria, and if that bacteria gets into an open wound, it can spread quickly and become infected."

"I know how it works Dr. Reid," Nick said. "I also know what was in that shot I gave J.J. yesterday. Anymore questions?"

Once again, he had the agents silent. He turned back to J.J. It was easier to get her out of the way first. He put his hands on the buckle on her black pants. Her body felt tense, but she should have known by then that he wasn't interested in her. He was just doing this to make Reid feel more comfortable. "If you try anything, you will regret it," he warned her. Her unbuckled the pants, and pulled the zipper down. It was going to be harder to get the clothing off with her sitting down, but he would find a way. He went down to her ankles, and pulled from there. He'd rather not touch her if he had a choice. To his surprise, she lifted herself and the pants came off smoothly.

"Please don't take her underpants," Reid said. J.J. was wearing a black pair of underpants that her husband probably wasn't a fan of. They weren't lacy or high cut. They were the plainest pair of panties that Nick had ever seen.

"She might be able to earn them back, but for now, she doesn't need them," Nick said. "I don't know why people are so obsessed with covering themselves up. Animals don't go around covering themselves up. That's only an invention of mankind, and it's not something I'm fond of. The human body is a work of art that is constantly astounding me. I like to look at it."

Nick got on his knees and put his hands on her underwear. As much as he hated this, it needed to be done. He guided the underpants down her legs, and as soon as they were over her feet, he threw them over the boxes. He didn't care what she looked like so he turned back to Reid. The boy genius didn't look as confident as J.J. did when she was face to face with Nick. He was scared.

Nick scooted over to Reid's side as he unbuckled the pair of slacks, and when he pulled down the zipper, his fingers brushed over Reid's member. It only lasted for a second, but Nick felt like exploding in his pants. Nick took a firm hold of Reid's slacks and pulled them down Reid's long legs, not showing the same kind of respect he gave for J.J. He just couldn't wait to see Reid. To really see Reid. Reid cried out because Nick forgot to be gentle when the pants ran over Reid's feet. The pain didn't last long or at least Nick didn't think it did. He was distracted when he saw Spencer Reid trembling in front of him wearing little more than a pair of light blue boxers.

He could barely contain himself when he wrapped his fingers around the rim of the boxers. Reid wasn't fighting him. Reid was shaking, but he was accepting his fate. Everything was perfect. Nick took a deep breath when he took off the boxers, and he took care when the shorts went over Reid's legs. Reid lifted one leg at a time, and when the blue boxers were free from their wearer, Nick didn't throw them. He wanted to keep them. He wanted to sleep with them. It would be a while until Reid could join him in bed so the light blue boxers were going to have to do.

Reid pulled his legs up as soon as he could. Nick barely got a glance at the young man that he waited so long for. He grabbed the ropes from his shoulder, and roughly pulled Reid's legs back down. Reid hissed in pain while Nick held his ankles together. He tied them as tight as he could. He wasn't going to have them tied up for long. He didn't like Reid's legs so close together, but he needed to get this done. He found the brick that he left up there from yesterday and placed it underneath Reid's feet.

"You said you wouldn't do anything if we didn't fight you!" J.J. shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Last thing on my list," Nick mumbled. He turned around and grabbed the baseball bat he left on one of the boxes. He bit his lip when he swung the bat. Nick wasn't a sporty kind of a guy. He never understood ball games or the thrill in watching a group of people chasing each other in a big field, but he did know where he wanted the bat to land. He had to bend over to hit the right spot, but the bat hit Reid on top of his right knee. Nick didn't wait for Reid to react. He raised the bat up, and slammed the weapon down on Reid's kneecap again. And again. And again. He would have done it a fifth time, but Reid's body had curled over in a fetal position and the poor guy was screaming in pure agony. Nick put down the baseball bat, and sighed in relief. It was done. When he looked at the damage to Reid's knee, he was shocked. He didn't know there would be that much blood. J.J. was trying to get to him, but Nick barely noticed her. All he could concentrate on was the pained cries coming from Spencer Reid. It made him smile.

 _hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! told u its getting bloodier and I plan on starting the next chapter tomorrow. lemme know how everyone likes this chapter. who are your favorite characters? plz don't forget to review! till next time! xoxoxo_


	8. Chapter 8

_hey peoples! long time no see right? this chapter has been in the making for some time now. I was almost done with it about a week ago, maybe about halfway done, when the computer shut down and deleted the entire document. I had at least 8 pages written and it all disappeared. I was sooo mad so when I rewrote it, I saved it after every single page just to make sure. I didn't run into any other problems which is good and im already getting ideas for the next chapter. as always, warnings for this chapter include language and some gore._

 _Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear._  
 _-Mark Twain_

Rossi didn't question Prentiss when she got behind the wheel and started driving. There was nowhere in particular that they needed to be. Wherever they went, it had to be better from where they came from. Rossi did not envy the officer that was going to have to make that phone call informing that girl's mother that she was dead. There were some parts of this job that would never get any easier with time, and telling parents that their child was dead was one of them. If he never had to do that again, he would be perfectly fine with that. Rossi pulled his phone out of his pocket. He didn't have any missed calls or new messages, but the idea that Prentiss had about Adam having friends was the only idea they had to go on. It was better than nothing. He called Garcia and put the phone on speaker.

"Do you think that woman in the car was a victim of our unsub?" Garcia asked before Prentiss even realized she answered the phone.

"Not even a hello?" Rossi teased.

"Hello. Did you guys find out anything?" Garcia sounded anxious.

"No," Prentiss said. "We think she was the final victim of Adam Blackwell. She matched his other murders perfectly. Her tongue was even missing. Has anything been happening on your end?"

"Johnny Blackwell told us about a man that sounds like somebody boss man wants to talk to," Garcia said. "He was being really brave and was getting ready to talk to the sketch artist when his mom came by and took him home. She didn't want him talking to any of us."

"Did she say why?" Rossi asked.

"She wasn't very friendly in general," Garcia said. We needed that picture though. Reid and J.J. have been missing for too long. I'm getting scared."

"Garcia, I think I have a job for you," Prentiss said. Rossi didn't join in. He didn't think the man who took J.J. and Reid had anything to do with Blackwell. It was a good idea that Prentiss had, but something in the pit of his stomach told him that it would lead to nowhere. "Adam Blackwell took a few college courses, right?"

"Correct," Garcia said. She sounded nervous. Prentiss might have thought Blackwell having close enough friends to imitate his psychotic ways sounded farfetched too, but it gave Garcia something to do. She needed that more than any of them.

"Can you tell me if he had any close friends or even partners on one of his last projects for the semester he finished? Their teacher might have matched him up with a partner, and it's possible that his partner found out what Adam was up to before any of us."

"Looks like he did take one online class," Garcia said. Rossi heard her typing loudly as she expanded her search. "I'm sure I can find out pretty fast who this guy worked with a lot."

"Thanks Garcia," Prentiss said. She pulled into a parking lot. Rossi looked around to see why in the world she wanted to come here when an illuminated COFFEE sign caught his eye. It was getting later, and he normally didn't drink coffee at this hour, but he was suddenly craving it. "We'll be back soon."

"Over and out," Garcia said and she was gone.

Prentiss parked underneath a large tree, and turned off the engine. For a moment, neither one them said anything. They didn't need to. Their search to find their missing friends wasn't going as well as anyone hoped it was, and as much as Rossi hated to admit it, they weren't any closer to finding Reid and J.J. than they were yesterday. It was like the youngest members of their team just vanished into thin air. It wasn't exactly common for an unsub not to leave some kind of trail for the agents to follow. Sometimes it took time to find the trail left behind, but the unsub who took Reid and J.J. left nothing behind except for a damn shoe print that could belong to millions of people worldwide. Prentiss looked like she was about to say something, but she changed her mind and got out of the car. Rossi followed her out as she led the way into the little coffee shop.

He knew he wasn't supposed to profile her. That was one of their unspoken rules, but she had stress written across her face. He didn't like this. He didn't like what this unsub was doing to his team emotionally, and he couldn't even fathom what the unsub was doing to Reid and J.J. Prentiss chose a booth near the back of the restaurant, and put her face in her hands. A good sleep would be good for all of them, but he wasn't going to mention that. He knew that none of them were going to sleep until their friends were safely back at home.

"I just want to know why he chose Reid and J.J.," she finally said. "Let's just say he's out to get revenge on the FBI or police or something. I think he has been following us for a while. I don't know why or how he picked our team, but he did. He followed our team around for weeks or even months, and out of all of us, he chose Reid and J.J. Why? Was it just because they are the youngest? Did he just figure that they would be the easiest to take?"

"He's in for a surprise if he thinks they are just going to sit around," Rossi said. "They are smarter than he's aware of. He's really going to regret taking them."

"Can I get you guys something?" a young woman asked. Rossi almost forgot he was in a coffee shop until she walked up holding the order pad. She was wearing black pants with a matching button down shirt, and she had her strawberry hair pulled back in a ponytail. Rossi guessed she was a college student, and she was very lucky to have Adam Blackwell dead. She would have been his type.

"Hi," Rossi said glancing at the menu on the table. "Just a coffee. Black. A large one would be nice."

"Same," Prentiss said.

"I'm going to throw in a few pastries on the house," the waitress said. "Sorry to say, but you guys look like you've been through hell. Few pastries is the least I could do."

"Thanks," Rossi said. He wasn't in the mood for eating sweets, but this place didn't look like it gave away free food too often. He would have one, and take the rest to go. He might get hungrier on the way back to the police station, but he didn't think so.

"You guys aren't from around here," she said.

"How do you know that?" Prentiss asked. Rossi looked around. The café wasn't very busy, but most people weren't buying coffee or sweets that late at night.

"We usually only see locals around here," the waitress said. "Unless there's a concert or something going on. Ya know? I literally know like most of the customers by name, and the ones that I don't know are visiting relatives of the ones I do know so it's weird to see new faces. Is there a conference or something going on? Like a doctor or teacher conference maybe?"

"Why would you ask that?" Rossi didn't particularly think that he could pass as a doctor, but he guessed anything was possible.

"There was another fellow that was in here just a few days ago," the waitress said. "I didn't recognize him either. He wasn't much of a talker. He wanted a pumpkin coffee which was funny as hell. I didn't ask what his job was, but he was totally a teacher."

Rossi looked at Prentiss, and she was thinking the same thing. The spark was back in her eyes. What this waitress was telling them could just be an innocent observation, but what if it wasn't? What if this stranger was their unsub? They were only a few miles away from the Blackwell house so it made sense that their unsub would be relaxing in this area while he waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

"How did you know he was a teacher?" Prentiss asked.

"He had this briefcase with him and pulled out his laptop, but after I got him the coffee he chose, he pulled a book out and read that instead. I only got a glance at the screen, but it looked like an agenda or something that a teacher would have. He had dark circles under his eyes too, and I think most teachers at my school have the same dark circles. You guys don't sleep enough."

That much was true. "We aren't teachers," Rossi said.

"We are actually agents with the BAU," Prentiss said pulling out her badge for the waitress to examine. The young woman looked shocked. "If we got a sketch artist down here, would you be willing to sit down and talk with him?"

"Why?" she asked suddenly looking worried. "What is this about? I thought you guys caught the tongue ripper guy. Is this his brother?"

This girl obviously hadn't been watching the news, but he didn't really blame her. She had a job and was going to school. Her life was probably just as busy as theirs were. "It's not the same guy. Two other agents were recently abducted, and we are just looking for leads on the case."

"The two kidnapped agents came from your team?" she asked.

"Yes," Rossi told her. "They've been missing for over a day. Every minute is crucial."

She looked back at the kitchen, but her mind was already made up. "Yeah, I can talk to your artist. I'll just grab your coffees and tell my boss. Don't think he'll have a problem with me leaving. It's dead in here tonight. Just gimme a minute."

They watched her disappear into the back rooms. "Do you really think this is the guy we're looking for?" Rossi asked.

"It's weird that a stranger shows up in this town right when Reid and J.J. are abducted. I want to see if the image she comes up with matches the one that we already have. I'm going to call Hotch to let him know we are on our way."

Prentiss pulled out her phone and was talking to Hotch before she left the café. Rossi stayed behind to wait for the waitress. The young woman came hurrying out with a purse over her shoulder and two large coffees in her hands. "Sorry, came as fast as I could," she apologized handing him one of the coffees. The warmth felt good against his hands. "Boss gave me the night off and said the coffees and pastries are on the house for you guys. Put the pastries in my bag so we are good to go."

"He didn't have to do that," Rossi said.

"He said he hopes you guys catch this bastard," she said. "He heard about what happened on the news a while ago. He keeps up with this stuff more than I do."

Rossi smiled. "My name is David Rossi."

"I'm Kristen," she said smiling back. "Kristen Bowen. Glad I can help."

Rossi held the door open for her, and waved at the man he presumed was her boss before following her out. He wasn't tired at all anymore. This could be the lead they were waiting for. He was praying that Kristen's description of the stranger in the café would be more than enough to catch this guy.

* * *

Reid was screaming. J.J. was pulling at her restraints to get to him, but it wasn't working. She couldn't get close enough to him to see the full extent of the damage, but his knee was shattered. J.J. could see that much. She lost count how many times that stupid baseball bat hit his knee, but it was enough to leave Reid's knee covered in blood. Reid's body was bent over in a fetal position, in much as a fetal position as he could get into with his wrists tied up behind him, but tears were just falling down his face. Why would anyone do that to him? He was doing everything that Nick asked them to do. He wasn't putting up a fight or arguing at all, and his reward for behaving was a shattered knee cap.

"Oh my God!" J.J. heard herself shouting. They needed bandages to stop the bleeding, and something to help relieve Reid's pain. She knew Nick wasn't going to get him some pain medication, but ice would be better than nothing. "Please help him. We need to stop the bleeding."

"The bleeding will eventually stop on its own," Nick said very casually. "Not sure how long it will take for the pain to stop, but I'm sure that will stop. Eventually. Bleeding isn't even that bad. Reid, straighten yourself out. I need to look at your knee."

Reid was breathing heavy, but he didn't flip himself over. He was looking at J.J. He wanted her to advise him about what to do, but she didn't know herself. She couldn't protect him. He wasn't holding the baseball bat, but that didn't mean anything. "I know you can hear me," Nick taunted. "If you don't let me look, I won't mind giving J.J. more of the delicious stuff in that needle."

He didn't need to be told twice. Reid turned over to his back, and stretched out his legs to the best of his ability. It was impossible to keep the right leg straight any longer. It was already starting to swell, and blood was still dripping from the open wound. Nick bent over to get a closer look, but he didn't offer any kind of assistance to the young agent. J.J. didn't think he would. All she wanted him to do was leave if he wasn't going to help Reid.

"Why did you do that?" Reid managed to ask. He was shaking all over.

"It was on the agenda," Nick said back away. "Just like this is." Nick had his hands back on the baseball bat before any of them had time to react, and for a final time, he slammed the bloody bat down on Reid's right knee. J.J. heard the bone crack from the force of the weapon, and Reid screamed. He rolled back onto his side and Nick was laughing. "Now I'm done. On a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the worst, what would you rate your pain right now?"

"Stop that!" J.J. shouted. She turned her attention back over to her friend who was trying his best to bring some kind of comfort to his bloody knee, but nothing was helping. He couldn't cover the torn skin with his hands or do anything to shield it from the dirty floor. All he could do was watch his blood fall and pray for the pain to go away. "Reid, don't shut your eyes. I need you to stay awake for me." He didn't have a head injury, but she didn't want him going to sleep.

"I'll leave after Doctor Spencer Reid tells me how badly that baseball bat hurt him," Nick said smiling.

J.J. didn't think Reid even heard him. Reid's eyes were clenched shut, and his breathing was heavy, but to her surprise, Reid answered. "Two," Reid forced the words out. J.J. couldn't believe what she heard, but Nick started laughing.

"Challenge is on young agent," Nick clapped his hands. "I'll be back shortly."

J.J. was shocked, and looked back to Reid when she felt something sharp go into her thigh. Nick was hovering over, and when she glanced at her leg, she saw the needle deep inside it. The pinch hurt worse than it did the first time, but she wasn't going to give him the pleasure of crying out. She bit her lip, and the needle was out of her in less than a minute. It left behind a red mark, and she could feel the substance of the needle running through her veins. She wanted to ask what was in it, but she knew better. He wasn't ever going to tell her. Reid didn't see this second attack on her though, and that was the only good thing about Nick's visit. She wasn't going to tell Reid. The less he had to worry about the better. J.J. spat at Nick when the creep turned around, but he didn't notice. Nick picked up all the goodies he brought to the attic with him and left. J.J. noted that he left behind the clothing he stole from them except for Reid's boxer shorts. He took those with him which made J.J.'s stomach roll. Why the hell would he want Reid's underwear?

"Reid?" J.J. asked quietly when she was sure Nick was gone.

"He broke my knee," Reid whispered.

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and for a moment, she felt like falling against the wall behind her. She didn't know what was wrong, but she lost her breath. The feeling went away almost as soon as it began, but this wasn't good. What was inside that needle? She was sure if she started keeping track of her symptoms, Reid could diagnose her easily, but Reid's injury was the most concerning matter. He needed to get to a hospital straight away.

"Just take deep breaths Spence," J.J. told him. "He's gone. He probably won't be back today." She didn't believe that for a second. She just hoped Reid did or when Nick came back, J.J. would be able to distract him enough to keep him away from Reid.

There was pain written across Reid's face. He licked his lips nervously, and dared to look down at the mess that used to be his knee. He looked like he was about to throw up. She couldn't lie to him and tell him that it looked fine. They could both see that it didn't.

"Wonder what made him leave so suddenly," J.J. said abruptly trying to get him to think about something else other than his poor knee.

"His cell phone was ringing," Reid said without even looking up.

"His cell phone?" J.J. thought back. She didn't remember seeing or hearing a phone.

"It wasn't really ringing," Reid said. "It was vibrating in his pocket. I saw it."

Whoever was calling that man had no idea what kind of monster he really was. J.J. was sure of it. She thought about screaming as loud as she could so if Nick had answered the phone, the listener on the other end would hear her pleas, but she knew that wouldn't work. All it would do was waste the energy she would probably need later on. A very light meow interrupted her train of thoughts. She glanced over at the boxes and saw a very familiar cat bobbing her on head on one of them.

* * *

Why the hell would she be calling him now? Abby should be teaching at one of her classes, not calling him. She wasn't even on her lunch break yet. So why would she be calling him? He made sure to lock all the doors behind him. He wasn't about to start making mistakes just because Abby was calling. She wasn't worth getting sloppy over. He went down the stairs two steps at a time, and reluctantly took her call when he got to their bedroom. Their bed was nicely made. She must have done that before she left because he never made the bed. He tossed Reid's boxer shorts on the freshly washed sheets. Nick would deal with them later. He strolled into their bathroom to get a good look at himself in the mirror. Blood splatters covered his shirt and face, and that one girl in his class was going to find even more if she was given the chance. He needed to change.

"Good afternoon Abby," he said in the most pleasant voice he could muster. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," she said. He heard a radio blasting in the background. The bitch was in her car. "I'm taking the rest of the day off. I already cancelled my classes."

Nick nearly dropped the phone. She couldn't be serious. He put the phone on speaker and took his shirt off. He needed to either wash it on his own or throw it out.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" He prayed she wasn't on her way home. What the hell was he going to do if she pulled into the driveway right now? He found what looked like a clean washcloth on the counter and put it under the running water of the sink. He needed to get the blood off his face.

"It's been on my mind all day that I need to get rid of that book that Adam Blackwell gave me," she continued. "It's just…evil. I don't want it in the house anymore so I left for work a little early to give it to the police at the station. And they told me that the FBI is handling the case, but that they are at a station down in Charlottesville which is a little drive so I figured I could go after my classes. But it's been on my mind ever since. I don't want it even in my car."

"Are you coming home?"

"I mean, I read a little bit of it and its dark. It's really dark Nick. I don't like it."

"Are you coming home?" he asked again. He was scrubbing his face as hard as he could to make sure there wasn't one splotch of blood left on him that Maddie would find. He even got behind his ears just in case. When he went back to the attic to play with Reid, he thought about wearing a shower cap so he could keep his hair clean.

"No," she finally said. "I'm on my way to Charlottesville to give it the FBI. They can have it. Maybe they can give it to Adam's mother or burn it. I don't care. I just don't want it anymore."

He sighed. Not loud enough for her to hear, but he started to relax. She wasn't on her way back. Her little trip to another town might keep her gone even longer than usual. Everything was working out his way. He took off his pants and threw them next to his shirt. What was he going to do about this? He wasn't entirely sure if he knew how to work the laundry machine. Was that shirt really worth saving?

"You should have told me if the book bothered you that much," he said. The shirt wasn't worth saving. He would toss it in one of the fireplaces and have it burned to ashes before Abby was back. "I could have dropped the book off after work."

"Aw," Abby said. "You're so sweet honey, but I'm already on the freeway. So I probably shouldn't be talking, but I'll call you when I'm leaving the station. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," he said tossing his shirt and pants into the fireplace near their television. "Please be careful. I don't want something bad happening to you." He lit the match underneath the soiled clothing and watched it go up in flames.

"I'll pick up some fast food for dinner tonight," she continued. Why the hell was she still on the phone? He let himself fall back on the bed and Reid's boxers were right next to his face. He grabbed them and took a deep breath of the undergarments. They smelled like Reid. "Burgers sound alright?"

"Always in the mood for meat," Nick said. He nibbled on the rim of the boxers, and let his hands roam over all of the various folds that were once covering Reid's most valuable possession. He was getting hard just thinking about it.

"Have a good day honey," Abby said and with that, he heard the call end. Finally.

He put the phone on the dresser and looked back at the boxers he left on the bed. Reid was smaller than him. There wasn't much difference in their height, but Nick outweighed Reid by at least 50lbs. Probably more. That couldn't have made much difference in what size they wore though. He stepped out of the briefs he was wearing, sat down, and pulled Reid's boxers up his legs. It was a tight fit for sure, but his heart was pounding. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He wrapped his fingers around his member hidden in Reid's shorts and went at it. He had his first real orgasm since moving in with Abby, and it felt like heaven. He couldn't remember ever feeling as good as he did in that moment. He pulled off Reid's boxers, now covered in Nick's pleasure, and stuffed them in his pillowcase. He would have more fun with them later. For now, he was done. He was worn out, exhausted and out of breath, but he felt good.

* * *

Abby felt terrible for cancelling her other classes. That was so out of character for her, but her thoughts kept wandering back to the stupid book in the car. The book itself wasn't evil. She knew that. She didn't believe an object could be cursed so because of evil done by its owner, but she had a bad feeling about it. She couldn't explain it, but she kept getting a nagging feeling that something awful was going to happen. Those thoughts only started after it was revealed one of her former students was a serial killer so her negative mindset had to be caused by the book. She didn't want something that might have inspired a monster to murder innocent people. Adam's mother might want the book. It wasn't her fault that her son was a killer, and the book might be one of the few belongings he left behind.

After she got off the phone with Nick, she put the cell phone on the seat next to the book so she wouldn't have any distractions while driving. She normally loved long car trips. It gave her time to think and enjoy the beauty in nature around her, but not this time. It was already dark outside, and she didn't have anyone to enjoy the ride with. She didn't know why the police wouldn't just take the damn book so she could get back to work. It wasn't surprising when she found out the FBI was in charge of the case. It made total sense. She just wished the police could deliver the book or something, but they didn't. They wouldn't, and so she found herself in her car driving all the way to Charlottesville.

It wasn't that bad of a drive in reality. It was less than 2 hours away, and she didn't run into any traffic which was miracle. She only had to stop for gas once, but she didn't pick up any food. She wanted to be good and hungry when she got back home for her dinner with Nick. She tried to keep her thoughts focused on the kids at school. She went over all of their names in her head again and again. Learning names was her downfall, and she often got to the point in the semester when she just gave up trying because it got too embarrassing to ask again and again. Most of the students never seemed to notice so it wasn't that big of a deal, but she hated being like that. She wanted to know their names and all about them. Maybe if she knew more about Adam, she could have stopped what happened to all of those poor women. She could have been a valuable witness, and the chain of events wouldn't have ended in Adam's death if they caught him early. His poor mother had to have been feeling awful. If she knew the family better, she would send roses to Mrs. Blackwell or even stopped by their home to offer words of encouragement and maybe a little bit of food because that poor woman didn't feel like cooking.

When Abby reached the town, she pulled over at a diner to find out where the sheriff's station was and to take a breather. She got out of the car, stretched out her legs, and took her phone from its place next to the book. She texted Nick letting him know that she got there alright, and after 5 minutes passed, she knew he wasn't going to write back. He rarely did. He wasn't much a texter. The sheriff's station wasn't as close as she hoped, but she was on the last leg of the journey. Getting a coffee would just take up even more time so she wouldn't get to spend as much time with Nick tonight. He loved burgers so if she found a really nice family owned restaurant around, that might put him in the mood for something they hadn't done since her birthday. She was in the mood, and despite what some of her friends hinted at, she never cheated on Nick. She wouldn't. She believed their vows were sacred. Cheating on him would mean going against God, and she couldn't even imagine doing that. Neither would Nick. If she knew one thing about him, it's that he would never cheat on her.

She parked in front of the sheriff's station and took a deep breath. This was it. She slipped her cell phone into her purse and grabbed the book. She didn't even like holding it. She made sure her coat was fastened shut to keep her warm against the cold breeze of that night and held her head high as she walked up the four steps to the front desk. It was busy in there. Officers were running all around, and a blonde woman with a laptop was seated across the desk. It didn't look like a tornado could even draw her away from what she saw on the screen. Abby looked away from her and focused her attention on the middle aged woman at the desk.

"May I help you ma'am?" she asked.

"Hi yes, I just came from another police station and they sent me here. To see the FBI. I have something that belonged to Adam Blackwell."

The woman turned around in her chair and shouted. "Agent Hotchner. Got a woman out here to talk to you!" Abby would hate working with this woman all day with her whiny voice and bad attitude.

A bald headed man came out from the back rooms and smiled gently at her. "I can take her back," he offered. Abby liked this man much better, and it didn't hurt that she could just see the outlines of his muscular frame through his shirt. If staring at this man all day didn't put her in the mood, nothing would. "My name is Derek Morgan."

"Hi," she said nervously. She felt like a nerdy girl in high school all over again. "My name is Abby Harris."

"Let's walk while we talk," Derek said. Abby felt like blushing. "What brings you here tonight?"

"I teach a few college classes," Abby said as they walked by various office rooms. Only a few of them were empty. Most had police officers working inside. "I just found out one of my students was involved in a case of yours. That's why I sent over here instead of the station by my house. The police thought I better show you since you've been working on it."

Derek opened a door that led into a spacey conference room with a large table and a bulletin board with all kinds of images taped to it. At the head of the table was a man with black hair and pale skin. He had more paperwork in front of him than Abby did during finals week. She almost felt sorry for disturbing him. After this, she got to go home to her husband and enjoy her night. It didn't look like this man would have the same luxury. She stood back while Derek entered the room.

"Hey Hotch, got a teacher here who said she has something to give us," Derek said.

Abby almost tripped over her feet when the agent looked up from his work. He stood up for her, and held out his hand. She shook it when she got close enough, and took a seat closest to the agent. "I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner," he said with the same kindness that she heard in Derek's voice. "What did you bring for us?" He looked restless to see what she brought, but she didn't think this would help any case they were currently working on. That's what he was hoping for.

She pulled the book out of her purse and set it in front of him. He didn't even try to touch it. He just waited for her to tell him what it was.

"Hi," she said. "I teach a few college classes, and Adam Blackwell was one of my students last semester. I heard what he did on the news, and so I thought I better return this book. Maybe he got some of the ideas for his crimes from it? I don't know. I just thought the book would be better in the hands of the authorities than me or risk another student finding it."

The agent couldn't hide the disappointment in his eyes. Abby felt stupid for driving all the way down there. She knew they were working on another case. She heard it on the news. Two agents had been kidnapped or something. The Blackwell case was probably the least of their worries.

The agent looked at the book and smiled. "Thank you for bringing this in," he finally said.

"I'm sorry," she said. She really was. She didn't know what else to say. "I know that you thought I'd tell you who the bad guy you're looking for is. I don't."

"The Adam Blackwell case hasn't been closed yet," he told her. "We can add this book the evidence against him so we thank you."

Abby turned around to look at the drawings on the board. "Is that the fellow you're looking for?"

Agent Hotchner stood up and walked over to the pictures. "They aren't the best quality yet. We have met someone who got a good look at the unsub, but they still need to talk to the sketch artist."

Abby walked over to the drawings to get a good look at the bad guy. She didn't know anyone who looked like that. "I hope you find him soon."

The agent pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to her. It was his business card. "Feel free to call me if anything else comes up. I'm normally by my phone."

Abby took a photo of the bad guy with her phone and put the card in her purse. She would show it to Nick the second she got home. She had a serial killer in her class so it couldn't be that farfetched that he had a kidnapper in his class. If the creep was in her husband's class, they could catch him early and save those two agents.

"The two missing agents are from your team?" Abby asked.

"Yeah," Derek said coming into the room. He had his phone out, and showed her a picture of a young man smiling on it. "This is Dr. Spencer Reid, and this is Agent Jennifer Jareau," he said swiping photos until he stopped on one a pretty woman with blonde hair. "They were abducted together while we were investigating the Blackwell boy."

"You haven't received any ransom notes or phone calls though?" Abby asked. She wasn't an agent and she never worked for the police, but she read a lot.

Derek looked at Hotchner. "No, we haven't," Derek admitted to her.

Abby nodded. If the kidnapper hadn't asked for money by now, he probably didn't want money. She couldn't imagine what the creep wanted with two federal agents, but she wasn't going to forget to show Nick the drawing when she got home. This man needed to be off the streets.

"Can one of you send me the new sketch of him once you get it?" she asked. "I can show my students at school. I'll make sure everyone I know sees his face."

"Thank you Abby," Derek said.

She smiled and looked at her feet. She needed to stop behaving like some lovesick teenager. She was sure both of them noticed her immature behavior. She let Derek lead her the way out of the station, and she nearly tripped when he waved her goodbye. She was embarrassing herself. When she got back to her car, she texted Nick that she was on her way back. He didn't respond. She pulled into a drive thru when the bad feeling crept back over her again. She felt herself shudder. What was going on? The damned book was gone so why was she feeling like this? She ordered a couple of burgers and fries, but she couldn't shake off the feeling. It was scaring her. Something terrible was going to happen.

* * *

The dizziness and worry that J.J. felt disappeared soon after Nick did with the needle. She didn't know what is and didn't care. Reid never passed out from the pain, and the tears eventually stopped falling down his face. Why was Nick picking on Reid? Was it because Reid was another guy? Did he see Reid as a threat or something? That couldn't be it. Nobody saw Reid as a threat. At least, not at first. Once they started to know Reid, they found out that he was a very capable opponent who can take care of himself.

The sun was totally gone from the sky leaving everything black in their attic. Their captor wasn't even kind enough to leave a single light on for them. Not one. Their only companion was the cat who had taken a liking to Reid. She tried licking his wounds, but when he wouldn't let her do that, she was satisfied to just curl up by his feet. The cat was giving Reid the comfort that J.J. couldn't so she was grateful the little feline was there to keep them company. They tried guessing her name, but she didn't react to any names they thought of so they gave up. That cat was the only solace in that hell hole. She was purring when J.J. heard a door slam downstairs.

"He's coming back," Reid whispered. He tensed up, and his kitty friend woke from her slumber.

"How long do you think he was gone?" J.J. brought her knees up to her chest, and put one foot over the other. It was more for warmth than anything else, but she didn't mind keeping herself covered.

"About half an hour," Reid said. He was covering himself up too. J.J. felt her stomach roll when she saw his knee, and he hissed when he bent his leg. His cat bumped her head against one of his legs, and ran off behind the boxes when the attic door opened.

"Let me do the talking," J.J. whispered. She could stand a few beatings. She wasn't scared of the twat with the baseball bat. He was just a big bully who needed to learn his place.

She didn't even realize she was holding her breath until Nick was in front of them. She didn't see the baseball bat behind him, but he was wearing new clothes. He got rid of the blood stained outfit he was wearing earlier. He was dressed in pajama pants now with an old tee shirt. J.J. prayed he didn't want to get his jammies all dirty. He had to go to bed soon. It was a week night, and he already showed them he had to wake up very early in the morning.

"What did your wife want?" J.J. asked. She wasn't afraid of him. Not even a little.

Nick looked flustered, but he didn't stutter. "Sorry for that slight interruption. Phone calls can be a real hassle, but I needed to take that one. How is your knee feeling?"

"What do you want?" Reid asked. She didn't know why he was trying that tactic again.

"Agent Reid," Nick said kneeling down in front of them. "Let me see your eyes."

"Why?" Reid asked.

"Some say that eyes are the window to the soul," Nick said leaning in closer. "Let me see what your soul looks like."

Reid put his back against the wall as far as it could go. J.J. didn't think Nick just wanted to see Reid's eyes. He wanted something else.

"Let us see your eyes then," J.J. challenged him. "What color are they? Black?"

"His eye has twitched twice already since he's been up here," Reid said. He was starting to sound like his old self again. J.J. liked that. If Reid wasn't allowed to go on one of his rambling fact giving speeches, he would go crazy. "In many cultures, the twitching of the eye can be very scary omen that disaster is coming your way. I just thought you would be interested in hearing about that since it seems that you have a fascination with eyes."

Nick didn't seem angry at Reid's little speech. He was actually smiling like he was enjoying every little bit of learning about the old superstitions. "So, if the eyeball is torn away from the skull and can longer twitch, does it leave the person with good fortune for the rest of their lives? Or would it just make them look like a sorry piece of shit walking around with no eyes? I mean, to each his own, but seriously. If my theory is correct, if the eyeball goes missing, the soul just loses the window to the outside world so the person has to spend the rest of his days in darkness both physically and spiritually."

J.J. felt like the third wheel. She didn't know why either one of them were discussing eyeballs and superstitions. She could barely remember her own phone number while she was chained up like a dog in that attic, but these two were remembering old legends. She hoped Reid was just trying to distract Nick.

"But you didn't come up with that theory," Reid said.

"That is true, but we are all co-existing on the same planet so everyone can relate to that quote," Nick said. "Remember that one saying how every single person is fighting the hardest battle in their life? People all come from different backgrounds and traditions, and no matter what the authorities tell us, everyone has different moral compass on what is right and what isn't. The Christian faith urges its followers to obey the Ten Commandments while Satanists say whatever float your boat is alright."

"Satanists believe in doing whatever they want as long as it's not hurting anyone else," Reid argued back. "They will not put up with any kind of abusive behavior and abducting two people and locking them up your house would get you banned for life from that religion."

"Interesting," Nick said. He sat back against the box the cat was relaxing on earlier. Where in the world did that cat disappear to whenever her owner came in the room? Did she not like him? Maybe she wasn't even his cat. He didn't seem like an animal person. "But if the almighty creator gave us these primal urges like sex and violence, why do we need to resist them? It's part of our nature. When animals get these urges, they go right for it without a second thought."

"That's because they are animals," J.J. said.

"Human beings are animals too," Nick said. "We are the smartest animals in the animal kingdom, but we are no different than they are. We have no more control over our fate than they do. In fact, some might say they have better lives than they do. They are no bound by rules or walls. They do whatever they feel like and enjoy life for what it is. Humans only pretend to have that luxury when they can only truly be themselves when they are hidden in the dark where they cannot be judged or ridiculed."

"Because without rules and boundaries, we won't have a society," Reid said licking his lips.

"So we have to hide who or what we truly are so we can have a nice society to raise children in to become future soldiers for the government that restrains us and mocks us," Nick said.

"What?" J.J. asked.

Nick reached into one of the boxes and pulled out a flashlight. It was covered in dust, but when Nick clicked it, the light shined bright. He directed the light into their eyes, and J.J. was forced to shut them. It was too bright. It took that long to get adjusted to the darkness only to be bombarded by the light.

"If you think the rich and powerful are living lives the rest of us, you are wrong. They have more than just basements and attics to carry out their darkest fantasies. Most people think that kind of stuff only happens in movies. They have no damn idea how dark a human being can be."

"How would you know if you're not one of the elite?" J.J. asked.

"I read a lot of books," Nick said standing up. J.J. thought about backing up, but she couldn't get any further away from him unless she became one with the wall. She didn't trust Nick when he was sitting down. She trusted him even less now that he stood on his own two feet. "I read a lot of books. I watch a lot of documentaries. I listen to a lot of teachers, preachers, and I travel when I can. The real world is nothing like cartoons made for the young and stupid make it seem to be."

"But most people never see anything like what you're talking about," Reid said. He was backing up against the wall. J.J. noted that his knee was still bleeding. "They can live their entire lives without seeing someone die."

"Death is a natural part of life though," Nick said putting his hands in his pockets. "Hiding it from the public won't make it go away. It will just make them fear what is coming. The primal impulse of all animals is food, water, shelter, and sex. These urges are what we are all born with. Can we agree on that? I know that there are a few exceptions. I know nuns can live their entire lives without knowing the touch of a man, and some animals can go months or even years without food. It's the strangest thing I've heard of. It's called a water bear. You should look it up, but the majority of creatures need these basic things to survive. How they go about achieving these things various creature to creature. Animal to animal. Person to person. Who is to say which one is the right way? Just because one person prefers one way to another shouldn't make the second choice wrong."

"He's a teacher," Reid whispered. J.J. didn't reply. She was afraid of Nick hearing them, but she agreed. This man was a teacher, and he most likely taught higher grade levels.

Nick pulled a match out of his pocket. Reid took a deep breath, and J.J. frantically tried scooting further against the wall. When she realized she couldn't back up any further, she edged herself closer to Reid.

"A very fundamental fear that creatures share is the fear of fire," Nick said. He struck the match against of the boxes and watched it light up. "Isn't it funny how such a tiny thing can ignite fear in the hearts of so many? It can help us with life sure. It provides warmth, can help us cook food, but it can also destroy anything it touches."

"What are you doing with the match?" J.J. asked.

"I could light up this entire room in less than a minute if I dropped this," Nick said looking around. "How fast do you think it would take for the two of you to die? Do you think you would die from suffocation or from burning to death?"

"You don't want to kill us yet," Reid said confidently.

"How can you be so sure doctor? Just one slip of my fingers and you guys are dead."

"You went through too much work and effort just to kill us a few hours after the abduction," Reid said.

Nick smiled and dropped the match in one of the boxes. The box ignited in the flames, and Reid spread his legs out towards J.J. to protect her from the fire. Nick was laughing. He hadn't seen anything this funny since one of his students asked him if God was real. Nick remembered driving home to tell Abby because he couldn't stop laughing about it. She didn't think it was funny at all.

* * *

Kristen was really nervous. She had never been in trouble with the law before, and just knowing that there were two federal agents sitting down next her made her heart pound. She texted her mom to let her know where she would be, but Harry had no problems letting her leave early. He watched the news religiously, and he would probably be psyched if one of the agents wanted to talk to him. He didn't see the weird man that Kristen did though. She had to interact with the public every day. How many of them were killers? How many of them were dangerous? Most of them were regulars like she told the agents. She saw the same people during her working hours so it was odd to see someone new.

"Don't be nervous," Agent Rossi said. He was sitting in the front passenger seat while his partner drove. Kristen had the backseat all to herself. "It should only take a few minutes. They already know you're coming."

"Whose they?" Kristen asked.

"Rest of our team," Rossi said. "This is Agent Prentiss driving, and you're going to meet Agents Hotchner and Garcia."

"And the sketch artist," Prentiss added.

"Cause none of us are the best artists," Rossi said with a twinkle in his eye. "I can cook you some of the best Italian food you've ever had in your life, but art was never really my thing."

"I'll hold you to that," Kristen said.

The drive wasn't that long, and Agent Prentiss was kind enough to turn on some music when they had nothing more to say. She was sure the agents had all kinds of things to say, but they weren't willing to discuss it in front of her. She didn't mind. Kristen was going to tell everything to her sister when she got home later. Kayleigh wasn't going to believe it. The image she gave to the sketch artist was going to be all over the news and she would help catch this bastard.

When Prentiss parked the car in front of the police station, she didn't wait for them. She rushed inside leaving Kristen alone with Agent Rossi. He helped her get out of the car, and walked by her side to the front doors. She couldn't remember a time when she had been in a police station. She didn't think she ever needed to before. She saw what they looked like in television shows, and it wasn't all that much different from real life. There was an older lady at a front desk that didn't so much as glance at them when she saw it was Agent Rossi coming in. Kristen felt like a star witness at some huge trial. He walked her through some of the back rooms, but stopped before they got past the break room. There was a woman waiting for them at one of the tables. When she saw them, she smiled and got up.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Rossi apologized.

"Nah, I'm used to it," she said. "As long as we get a good representation of this guy, I'm glad to help. My name is Robin sweetie. What's yours?"

"I'm Kristen. It's very nice to meet you."

Robin's short brown hair bobbed up and down with every word she spoke, and Kristen was positive she had never seen an older pair of glasses. They were narrow with purple lining, but the color didn't bother her. It was the random chains hanging down the sides. What in the world were those for?

"Follow me honey to this room over here," she said leading the way. Kristen had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing as Robin's heels seemed to just echo across the tile floors. Robin didn't seem to notice or if she did notice, she didn't care. She opened one of the many doors to their left, and Kristen followed her inside a small office. Nobody was sitting at the desk, but Robin chose to sit in one of the guest chairs. Kristen sat down next to her, and her hands felt sweaty. Why was she so nervous? She was just talking to some old lady about some dude she saw earlier. It was fine.

"Okay honey, I'm going to need you to relax," Robin said. "Do you need anything before we begin? I can get you some water or I think they have some freshly brewed coffee out there."

"No, I'm fine," Kristen said. She didn't feel fine. She put her hands underneath her legs to hide how nervous she felt.

"How old are you if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm 23," Kristen said. Robin flipped over her sketch book to a blank page and opened up her pencil bag.

"And how long have you worked at the café?"

How much did Agent Prentiss already tell them? Kristen just got there and it seemed like they already knew everything about her. "About a year."

Robin found a sharp pencil and put it to the paper. "Alright. We can stop at any time if you need a break, but it's best to do it in one sitting if possible. No detail is too small. To the color of his eyes to the shape of his lips. We can start whenever you are ready Miss Kristen."

Kristen nodded and closed her eyes. She pretended that she was back at work, watching the minutes go by until the clock told her it was time to go home. It seemed like forever. Seconds always seemed to last for hours when she was trapped at that place. The café was empty when the man with the briefcase walked in and took a seat by the window.

"She thinks he is a teacher," Prentiss said walking into the conference room. "Well, if this is the guy we're looking for. From the sounds of it, he does sound like someone we want to talk to."

Hotch was sitting at the table with a book in front of him, and he was looking at it until she came in. He pushed it aside and looked up. "So she knows all the locals in the area, and sees a man come in shortly before the abductions."

"Yeah," Rossi said. "The only new people were us and this other man. That's why she asked us if there was some conference going on. It might be nothing, but this could be another witness to the unsub."

"It's good you brought her in since we couldn't talk to the Blackwell boy," Hotch said.

"No other news though?" Rossi asked. He pushed the pastries that Kristen gave them in front of Hotch. They hadn't eaten any. Prentiss felt like puking whenever she looked at the food. She didn't want to eat anything until J.J. and Reid were back.

"Not a peep from the unsub," Hotch said. "We've invited him to call us during the press conference, and I'm still having reporters make that same statement, but he's been quiet."

"Maybe this new witness will give us something we can work with," Prentiss said. She sat down next to Hotch and put her face in her hands. She never felt like this before. There wasn't anything she could do and she hated it. She was willing to go door to door if that would help rescue her friends. What the hell was the unsub doing to them? They still didn't really know why J.J. and Reid were chosen, and at this rate, it didn't seem like they ever would.

"Do you think we can ask Garcia to start looking up male teachers in neighboring towns?" Rossi asked. He sat down across from Prentiss and took one of the pastries. To her surprise, he actually took a bite and seemed to enjoy it. "Male teacher. Late 30s to 50s. I'm thinking he wouldn't be teaching grade school just because his first known victim to us was a small child, but sometimes these guys surprise me." Rossi took a second bite, but then put the pastry down.

"Yeah," Hotch said. "We can have her start tonight. She's been looking for something to do. I think I would focus more on high schools too or even colleges. Before the witness leaves, I want to see if she remembers seeing a ring on the guy's finger. That would narrow it down even more."

"None of us are going to sleep tonight," Prentiss said after a long pause. Hotch could send them back to the hotels and lock them in, but they weren't going to sleep.

"We aren't going to be any good if we are all just walking zombies by the time we figure out who this guy is," Rossi pointed out. "He has a job. If we can rely on this witness, he is going to be at work first thing tomorrow morning and probably be gone until about 5pm. 4pm if he works in a grade school. Then he needs to drive home, maybe change and have a snack so we have all of those hours when he isn't around Reid and J.J. to track him down."

"But he's with them tonight," Prentiss said quietly. "He's with them all night. He's probably with them right now doing God knows what."

She didn't mean to bring down their hopeful conversation, but she was right. The murderer keeping two of her dearest friends wouldn't be the least bit tired now. He got what he wanted. Now was his time to enjoy it. He would focus on sleep later. Unless he had a family. If he had a family, a wife and a couple of kids, he couldn't choose his own schedule. He would have to follow theirs. He would have to eat dinner with them, maybe help get the kids ready for bed, and his wife would expect him next to her when she fell asleep. He might be able to sneak out of bed, but that would limit his time with the agents. The last thing he needed was for one of his kids to wander out and find his daddy's secret room.

"What are you thinking?" Hotch asked her.

"That he has a family," Prentiss said. "He's the right age. There are bachelors, but I don't think he would want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself. He wants to blend in with the crowd."

"And his wife probably has no idea," Rossi said. "A lot of women can be married for years to a serial killer without ever knowing it. They look back later and see all the dead giveaway signs, but when they were actually married to the guy, they never noticed anything aloof."

"But she's probably in danger," Hotch said. "If she stumbles in the room where he is keeping Reid and J.J., it's not going to end well. He's already proven that he doesn't mind killing. If she gets in his way, she will be the next to go. I'm going to tell Garcia to start looking up teachers so by the time the sketch artist is done, we will have some names to look into."

Hotch left and Prentiss took a long sip of her coffee. It was all that her stomach could handle. The book still on the counter caught her attention. "What in the world it Hotch reading?" she asked.

"Lady stopped by right before you guys got here," Morgan said walking through the door. Prentiss almost forgot he was still there. "She was Adam Blackwell's teacher for a little bit. Guess he gave her the book and it's been giving her the creeps so she brought it here."

"Pretty sure anything that guy owned would give me the creeps," Rossi said.

Prentiss nodded and took another sip from her coffee. Adam Blackwell was the last person on her mind. Unless the unsub they were looking for was one of the Blackwell brothers, she never wanted to hear that name again.

* * *

Nick was laughing so hard. He couldn't help it. The agents really thought he was just going to light the place on fire and let them burn. Reid was leaning his entire body towards J.J. in a pathetic attempt to protect her from the flames while the young blonde was thrashing against her restraints. Nick wouldn't mind letting the fire spread to warm their flesh, but he wasn't ready for it to get out of control. He found an old blanket near the window and beat the flames down. All the contents inside the box had been destroyed and the wooden floor underneath it was black, but everything around it was fine. The fire was gone, and his two captives started to relax.

"Did you really think I was going to let the fire spread?" Nick asked. "I don't mind you two burning, but I'd rather not lose my house. Houses aren't exactly cheap and I like this one. Fear really is an interesting subject. It's a quality that we will never lose in this life."

"You teach philosophy, don't you?" Reid asked.

Nick stopped messing around with the blanket and stared at Reid. How in the world would he know that? Nick never once mentioned teaching, and he didn't remember talking about any philosophers so how did Reid know? It wasn't that big of deal. He wasn't planning on letting either one of the agents leave his property alive, but he still didn't want to talk about his personal life. That was his business, and his alone.

"I have to leave in a few minutes," Nick said changing the subject. Reid's eyes ventured over to J.J.'s so fast that if Nick wasn't watching, he wouldn't have seen it. They didn't need words to communicate with each other. That much was clear. He hated them for that. "But it's come to my attention that I should probably look at your knee. I'm not a doctor so I don't know what I would do if it got infected."

"I won't take your help if you try to stick J.J. with that needle again," Reid said.

The poor kid seemed to forget who was in charge. Nick was calling all the shots. Nick decided if and when they would get water, and it was Nick who would choose the best time to get J.J. another little lethal dose into her veins. By the time Reid figured out what it was, it would be too late to save her. Nick was positive about that.

"I left the needle downstairs," Nick lied. He was always going to have needle with him. Every time he went up to that attic, the trusty needle would be hidden in his pocket. "But what if I denied you medical attention because you would throw a fit if J.J. got another shot? It doesn't even look like what I'm giving her is that dangerous. I'm not seeing any symptoms. But your choice won't bother me."

"Please," J.J. said. "Put a band aide on it or something."

"I won't give you an option of further treatment," Nick said as he rummaged through one of the boxes. He knew he had a bottle of alcohol up there somewhere. "Whatever happens to your knee after this point doesn't concern me. Got it?"

They didn't answer him, and he was sure they were exchanging more secret glances. Nick found a bottle of rubbing alcohol, but his heart soared when he found a second one. This was proving to be an interesting night. He didn't see any bandages, but even if he found an entire box of them, he wouldn't be wasting one of them on Reid. He wanted to see Reid's skin, not hide it.

"If either one of you try anything stupid, I promise you that you will regret," he said as he made his way over to them. He wished they would just say something, but they remained silent. He got on his knees and lifted up the bottle of alcohol to show them. "This is going to hurt, but it's a better option that letting it get infected. I heard that some really bad infections can lead to amputation of the limb."

"Just do it," Reid said. The young agent stretched out both of his legs exposing the damage done to his knees. Both of them had bloody scratches, but the right one was badly swollen and most likely broken. The kid needed to see a doctor. The rubbing alcohol wasn't going to do much to help, but Nick never saw exactly what would happen if it was poured onto an open wound and he was curious. He opened the first bottle, but instead of pouring a few drops on at a time, he dumped the entire bottle on Reid's knees. There wasn't any bubbling or sizzling actions coming from the flesh like Nick was hoping. He barely noticed any change at all, but Reid was screaming. He was doubled over from the pain, and tears were dripping from his big eyes.

"Why did you do it like that?" J.J. shouted. "Spence, it's okay. Just take deep breaths. He's done."

Nick smiled. He wasn't done, and while she was distracted looking at her friend, he opened up the second bottle and poured the entire thing back on Reid's legs. Just like before, Reid screamed and tried to bring his legs back up to his chest. That simple task was proving impossible so he turned over to one side as far as his restraints would let him.

"Please stop," Reid cried out. His breath was cracking, and from the sounds of it, he was still crying.

"But you said you wanted me to look at," Nick said. "I looked at, and I even put something on it to help. You can't deny that rubbing alcohol will help keep it clean."

"I was thinking of a washcloth and a bandage or something," J.J. complained.

Nick didn't even want her there. She wasn't helping the situation, and he could have killed her right there if he wanted, but he held himself back. She still had some kind of part to play. Reid kept looking at her like he thought she could make the pain stop. It would be over soon. It would hurt like hell, but the pain never lasted long. Reid was already starting to calm down, but he refused to look at Nick.

"Can you at least take off the handcuffs so he can look at his knee?" J.J. begged. Why wouldn't she just shut up? He was going to let them free from their chains eventually, but not now. It didn't matter if Reid could walk or not. Reid's body wasn't his most dangerous weapon. It was his mind. Reid didn't need skills or brawn to get out of the attic. All he needed was his brain power and he had a lot of that. Nick wasn't ready to face that. Although he was tired and sore, Reid was still alert. If Nick was stupid enough to leave the kid unchained all night, he would be gone by morning.

"If I hear one more complaint from you, I'll make sure neither one you get water tomorrow either," Nick warned. He put his hand on his pocket and watched J.J. tense up. She was already preparing herself for the needle. He was going to give her one more injection before he left, but there was something else he wanted to try first.

"Please, don't do that to her," Reid said. The agent finally turned around to face Nick. Tears were drying on his face, but his eyes couldn't hide the pain that he was still in. His knee would be hurting him for a while. "If you need to use it, use it on me."

Nick left the needle in his pocket, and pulled out another match instead. Their reactions changed immediately. Reid forced his legs back in front of his friend and J.J. was sitting straight back against the wall. Reid was afraid, but his eyes never left Nick's.

"It's interesting how fast your demeanor changed," Nick said. "Just one little match. One little piece of nothing has the two of you cowering away from me." He struck the match on the floor and watched it light up in his hand. "Weren't you just telling me that I wouldn't kill you just yet? How can you be so sure? I wouldn't want to burn my house down, but I could put the fire out after you are dead."

"Please," Reid said again.

Nick ignored him. He already made his decision. He didn't have to explain anything to either one of them, and before the blonde could throw another hissy fit, he lowered the match down to Reid's leg. He put the flame next to Reid's already ripped up knee, and let the fire touch his skin. Reid screamed louder than ever before, and tried pulling his leg back but Nick held it in place. Nick wanted to watch his skin burn. Reid kicked his leg up, trying anything possible to avoid being burned, and his leg brushed up against Nick's thigh and woke up something that lied dormant in Nick for so many years. He couldn't even remember the last time he was this turned on. The blood inside of him was rushing down to his member, and the more than Reid struggled, the harder he got. He bit his lip and listened to Reid scream.

 _hope u guys enjoyed it! as u can see, the dark stuff is RIGHT around the corner. nick is one of the more dangerous unsubs that I've had to work with, and I hope u guys like him as much I like writing about him. I think hes the smartest unsub I've ever had so it's interesting. his love of fire worries me a little bit, but we'll see where this goes. plz review! till next time! xoxoxoxo_


End file.
